740.0011 European War 1939/24063: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Tuck) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:43 p.m.]
1314. Laval sent for me this afternoon to acquaint me with the text of a Havas-OFI92a version of a London communiqué relating to the recent bombardment by elements of the American Air Force on the docks at Le Havre and the railway yards at Rouen. He said that as a result of these operations 80 persons had been killed and 112 wounded. He therefore wished to formulate an official protest against this attack by our Armed Forces.
I informed him that while I would acquaint my Government of his protest it was obvious from the text of the communiqué that these attacks had been made on military objectives and were therefore fully justified. Our Armed Forces I added had no desire to inflict additional suffering on the people of France—they had suffered enough already—but as long as the Germans remained in France these attacks on military objectives would certainly continue.
Laval informed me that he had held up the publication of this Havas-OFI despatch until he had made his protest to me. The text of the communiqué and the fact that his Government had protested would appear in tomorrow’s press.
- Office Français d’Information.↩