711.51/265a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Spain (Hayes)
609. In your discretion will you designate a Foreign Service officer of your staff to proceed to Vichy and on the basis of this instruction orally discuss there with Tuck and other Foreign Service officers in the strictest confidence what their reactions might be should this Government be forced to break relations with Vichy. I am particularly interested in Tuck’s estimate as to the effect it might have on (1) the [Page 190] future of the French fleet; (2) the effect on Laval’s position; (3) whether it would be an incentive to the French people for closer collaboration with Germany; (4) whether the reaction in France would be influenced by a detailed public statement of this Government’s reasons for such a course of action or merely a very general statement that we can no longer consider the Vichy Government a free agent; (5) any comment Tuck may wish to make as regards communications with our offices in Bern would be of interest as well as his general opinion in this matter as seen from the Vichy standpoint.
Your reply to this cable should not be drafted until the return of your secretary to Madrid in order that there may be the maximum of secrecy.