740.00119 European War 1939/732: Telegram
The Consul General at Beirut ( Engert ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:40 p.m.]
223. For Secretary and Under Secretary. Monsieur Conty, Director of Political Affairs, at the High Commission requests that I inquire of the British authorities as it were on my own initiative what terms the French here could expect in the event that they feel that the time had come to suggest that I offer my good offices with a view to bringing about a cessation of hostilities.
He referred to the report that the Free French organization had recently condemned General Dentz and other high officers to death and that such “plaisantries” were hardly conducive to the creation [Page 744] of an atmosphere in which one could negotiate. They would therefore particularly like to know in some detail what the British Government and the De Gaullists proposed to do: (a) with the French Army of the Levant; (b) the French civil services in Syria and the Lebanon; and (c) all other Frenchmen and their families.
Conty implied although he did not say so that he was speaking on behalf of the High Commissioner and that the matter was very urgent but that it had to be handled with extreme discretion as they did not of course wish to appear to being [be] suing for peace.
I told him that I could not very well “on my own initiative” transmit his inquiries to the British authorities in Palestine direct but that I would be very glad to telegraph the substance of our interview to the Secretary of State with the request that it be discreetly brought to the attention of the British Government. He was willing that it should be done in this way provided I could be authorized at once to use my good offices without asking for further instructions in case the French authorities decided to take this step.
It is significant that Conty did not once in this interview refer to Vichy and that he did not have in mind terms of an armistice or negotiations of a purely military nature. On the contrary in reply to my question he said specifically the French desired to know what “political arrangements” could be made with the British and Free French.
My personal impression is that the French forces are weary and that they have not been able to receive reinforcements from France. They would probably be ready to accept terms that would safeguard all British military, naval and air requirements provided they were otherwise sufficiently generous to enable the French to yield gracefully and with honor.