740.0011 European War 1939/15239
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The French Ambassador called at his request and proceeded to refer to the interest of the Vichy Government in the situation of French Indochina. He indicated that his Government desired this Government in any conversations or negotiations with Japan to keep in mind the interests of Indochina, and especially her desire to be completely independent of Japan when a settlement is reached in the Pacific. I here interrupted him and said that, with no purpose whatsoever [Page 453] to argue the matter, but merely to point out certain phases of it, regardless of where the truth lies, there is a real belief that during August 1940, Japan had requested Hitler to ask the Vichy Government not to be too demonstrative in its opposition to Japanese occupation of Indochina and Indochinese waters by means of its Army and Navy. There exists likewise the belief that the Vichy Government, notwithstanding the fact that such action went beyond the terms of the Armistice, complied with this request in an effort to placate Hitler. I added that this Government was opposed alike to Japanese conquest and to German conquest; that we are opposing both in different ways and that we profoundly believe that the Hitler invasion, as illustrated by the occupation of France, will mean utter ruin to the French and to Europe, and finally to America unless Hitler is stopped by force; and that we shall continue our opposition in various ways until he is stopped. I said the general attitude in America toward the occupation of Indochina by the Japanese manifested itself in various ways, since such occupation evidently was next to the final step in a possible military invasion of the South Sea area. In addition, I said that we were fundamentally opposed to the invasion of small or helpless countries by a powerful country like Japan; and that we had emphatically made this known to Japan in more ways than one, in fact, some of the ways we had registered our opposition had not been made known.
I said that his Government was urging us to keep in mind the freedom, welfare and autonomy of Indochina in connection with any conversations or negotiations that may take place between Japan and this country; that our attitude in this matter thus far has been made known, as I had outlined it to the Ambassador. I said further that this country wants nothing from Europe or Asia except peace and order under law and justice and fair dealing, et cetera, et cetera, and hence our interest in and opposition to Japanese encroachments on Indochina; that the Vichy Government comes to us with regard to this matter but says nothing about French Africa, especially the northern and western parts along the Atlantic Coast, with respect to which the United States has no selfish interest whatever. We did, however, have a definite interest in opposing the seizing and occupying by Hitler of French Africa with its harbors on the Atlantic Coast as a part of his movement to get control of the seas and seriously threaten this hemisphere; that there has been no request for us to render aid to the Vichy Government to prevent such German occupation, but on the contrary, there are implied threats by some high French officials, calculated and apparently so intended, to deny to the Government of the United States the privilege of discouraging Hitler from coming into North Africa; that we, of course, have [Page 454] thanked the Vichy Government for such efforts as it has made to observe the terms of the Armistice as it relates to French ports and French Africa, but that we do not know from week to week when Hitler may press Darlan to make concessions in this regard which go entirely beyond the terms of the Armistice to the detriment of peaceful nations like the United States. The Ambassador said that pressure had been brought to bear indirectly by Hitler but that the French had not yielded to it.
I said finally that we have had no negotiations with the Japanese and may have none; that thus far only the most casual and exploratory conversations have taken place, and that, if perchance a stage of negotiations should be reached, I would then hear the representations of the French Government with respect to Indochina and offer appropriate comment to his Government in regard thereto.