893.01/902: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 3—8:25 a.m.]
799. It is but natural following German and Italian recognition of the Nanking régime that considerable anxiety should be displayed by the Chinese Embassy here as to the future policy of France toward Chiang Kai-shek’s Government. We have been in touch with the Chinese Embassy several times during the day and they do not hide their fears that German and Japanese pressure may prevail upon this Government, committed as it is to collaboration with the Nazis, to follow Axis policy in the Far East.
We accordingly called upon Rochat15 this afternoon stating that we understood that the Japanese Ambassador16 had called upon Darlan17 last evening to endeavor to persuade the French Government to recognize Nanking. Rochat admitted both the visit and its purpose but stated that Admiral Darlan “had stood firm” on the question. He went on: “I can give you positive assurances (and he emphasized those words) “nothing is changed.” He made it clear however that he could give no similar guarantees with regard to the future.
We told him that we had come on our own initiative and not under instructions from Washington; that we felt however that the French Government, should it decide to recognize the régime at Nanking, should before doing so be well aware of the unfortunate impression such a step would cause in the United States and of its bearing on the position of French Indochina after the war. He replied that the French Government is fully aware of these factors in the situation [and?] of their importance.
Repeated to Algiers.