740.0011 European War 1939/12797: Telegram
The Consul General at Jerusalem (Pinkerton) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 4—3:35 p.m.]
211. Lieutenant General Lavarack, commander of Australian forces in Syria has requested that the following message which General Lavarack’s staff officer states has the approval of General Wilson be sent confidentially to General Dentz through appropriate channels.
“The Commander of the Australian forces in Syria, General Lava-rack, feeling that to both Frenchmen and Australians, the idea of comrades of the last war fighting against one another is repellent and distasteful and a useless waste of good men, suggests that he send an envoy by air to Rayak or to some other mutually convenient airport at an early date to meet the representative of General Dentz and to deliver to him a message from General Lavarack which may lead to a solution of the unpleasant conditions which today exist and thus avoid unnecessary bloodshed”.17
For the Department’s confidential information and not for transmission to Beirut at present the message which Lavarack’s envoy will deliver if Dentz receptive to the proposal is as follows:
“As the commander of the Australian forces facing you in Syria, I would like to inform you in all sincerity that the idea of Australians fighting against Frenchmen is abhorrent to me, tad to my men, just as I believe it is surely hateful to you and your soldiers to be fighting against us.
During the war of 1914–1918 we fought together in Gallipoli and France, on the sea and in the air. We came to respect one another through a stern yet wonderful comradeship in arms against the common enemy.
The people of France took our men into their homes and cared for them and in many places, in particular at Villers-Bretonneux, erected fine monuments to the memory of the Australians who had fallen in the defense of their beloved France. Our children in Australia have for over 20 years saved their pennies and sponsored certain schools of your children in Fraince.
We have no quarrel with you, but it is our task and our one object to see that Syria is not occupied nor used as an operational base by Germany.
This task we have been given and we will complete to the best of our ability. Nothing else do we want in or of Syria.
With you, I take the liberty of stating, it is a question of honor both as Frenchmen and soldiers. You will defend Syria against us and in the battle many good men of France and Australia will be killed—but [Page 755] in the end—and I say it without boasting—we will, by the strength of our men, our guns and our airplanes, occupy Syria.
It has come to my knowledge that several Australian officers when captured by your forces have been treated with; kindness and with courtesy, and your officers have been amazed that Australians are fighting against Frenchmen—comrades of the last war and in many reunions since.
I can assure you, General, from the bottom of my heart that this is not my wish and I suggest therefore that a solution can be found which does honor to both sides and which will avoid the bloodshed that must of necessity occur if this battle continues.
I have sent my envoy to you so that he can convey this message to you in person, and I would ask that if the proposal coincides with your feelings, arrangements could be made for you and me to meet at some suitable place and time where we may, as soldiers, find a happy solution to this problem.
I feel that you and I carry a big responsibility on our shoulders and can surely find a plan which will avoid so much unnecessary bloodshed.”
- This telegram up to this point was repeated to the Consul General at Beirut as Department’s telegram No. 127, July 5, 7 p.m., with authorization to take the action requested by General Lavarack.↩