800.6363/618
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State
The French Ambassador called to see me today at his request.
The Ambassador read to me many telegrams and discussed at some length various questions relating to French shipping, including the case of the tanker Merope.48
I told the Ambassador after he had concluded that I should like very much to be helpful to him, but that it was impossible for me to keep in touch with all of the details involved in these questions, and [Page 162] that I felt sure that Mr. Long49 and Mr. Atherton50 and other officials of the Department were giving these questions prompt consideration.
I explained to the Ambassador the recent message sent to Admiral Leahy for communication to Marshal Pétain with regard to the rumors of the possibility of the entrance into the French Government of Monsieur Laval and I informed the Ambassador of the nature of the reply received from Admiral Leahy. I stated that I felt sure the Ambassador would understand that, notwithstanding the fact that this Government desired to move rapidly to determine the various questions in which the French Government was interested, notably Red Cross assistance and commercial shipments to North Africa, because of the assurances recently given this Government by the French Government it was impossible for us to go ahead until we had categorical assurances that Monsieur Laval or other notorious collaborationists with Germany were not going to take charge of French policy. I said that until this issue had been settled almost all of the questions which the Ambassador had mentioned would have to be left in abeyance.
The Ambassador said that he understood fully the situation. He said he wished, of his own initiative, to cable his Government that if Laval or his associates came into control in Vichy, all profitable relations with the United States would be terminated. I said that was a matter which the Ambassador would have to decide for himself. I stated that the views of this Government had already been communicated to Marshal Pétain and we would have to await developments.
- The French tanker Merope was chartered by a Mexican shipping line that was a subsidiary of the Mexican Government for the period from December 10, 1941, to March 24, 1942. The charter was not renewed, and in August 1942 the ship was taken over by the Mexican Government with the understanding that France would be reimbursed for its value.↩
- Breckinridge Long, Assistant Secretary of State.↩
- Ray Atherton, Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs.↩