740.0011 European War 1939/23904: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in France (Tuck)
540. Your 1284, August 31, 8 p.m. In whatever manner you think best please make it clear to the French authorities that we would take the strongest exception to the transfer of either French or foreign merchant tonnage to the Axis powers. Such action would obviously be of the utmost assistance to them and would constitute a concession far beyond France’s obligations under the Armistice Convention.
In this connection you will recall the French note of August 21 (your telegram 1231, August 23, 9 p.m.92) in reply to our request that the French Government renew its assurances that no assistance would be granted to one of the belligerents and no policy of open aid to the Axis powers beyond the scope of the Armistice Convention would be adopted. We are fully conscious of the fact that the French reply avoided a clear-cut compliance with our request, but it did state that “the French Government has always respected its engagements and no change in the constitution of the new government can cause it to modify its attitude” and concluded that “the French Government has never questioned” the assurances previously given.