890D.01/575
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Aide—Mémoire
The following further information has been received about the position in Syria and the Lebanon since the question was last discussed between members of the Near Eastern Division and a representative of His Majesty’s Embassy.
General de Gaulle’s views regarding the termination of the mandate were given in an official communication from the Free French headquarters dated November 5th in which it was stated that:
“La proclamation de l’indépendance syrienne par le délégué Général et plénipotentiaire laisse subsister le mandat, le Général Catroux exercant, compte tenu de la nouvelle situation de fait, les pouvoirs du haut commissaire de France en Syrie.”
The statement went on to say that the changes introduced in Syria did not affect the juridical position, which could only be modified with the consent of the League of Nations and of the Government of the United States. Furthermore the Comité National Français only envisaged the termination of the Mandate after the conclusion with the Syrian and Lebanese Governments of treaties duly ratified according to the law of the French Republic.
[Page 812]On November 28th General de Gaulle communicated to the Secretary General of the League of Nations full particulars of the events which have taken place in Syria since last summer. It is understood that a similar communication was sent to Mr. Biddle with the request that he should inform the United States Government as a signatory of the Treaty of April 4th, 1924.
It is not, in the opinion of His Majesty’s Government, possible to give a categorical answer to the question whether after the mandate is terminated, the treaties based thereon remain valid, since this depends inter alia on the nature of the treaties. It is thought, however, that this question is not really relevant since the case of Syria and Lebanon is analogous to that of Iraq before the termination of the Mandate. In the case of Iraq, His Majesty’s Government made it their business to see that the position of the treaties relating to Iraq with the United States and other powers was satisfactorily clarified before their mandatory responsibility terminated, and in particular that the Iraqi Government accepted responsibility for all the treaties with third powers which His Majesty’s Government had made in their name. As the United States Government are aware, the Free French are adopting the same course as regards Syria and the Lebanon, and have included in the proclamations of independence a clause stating that in acceding to an independent national life Syria (the Lebanon) succeeds naturally to the rights and obligations hitherto undertaken in her name. General Catroux is understood to have drawn the attention of the United States Consul General at Beirut to this statement and to have assured him that, pending the stabilization of the new régime by a Franco-Syrian treaty, the rights of the United States would be fully safeguarded by this stipulation.