740.0011 European War 1939/19265
The Counselor of Embassy in France (Murphy) to the Adviser on Political Relations (Dunn)
[Received February 2.]
Dear Jimmie: I have avoided writing you personal letters because I didn’t want to be a nuisance, realizing the pressure you are under.
There is one point, however, on which I do need your advice, and I should be grateful for a telegram if you find it practicable to send me one:
Ever since the dismissal of General Weygand there has been effervescence on the part of individuals and groups in French North Africa who are eager to undertake action to resume hostilities against Germany and Italy. Their ideas usually contemplate the temporary separation of French North Africa from metropolitan France, the setting up of a provisional form of government here and, principally, military and economic aid from the United States. Thus, for example, there is a group of officers in Morocco who feel this way, another group in the Oran district of Algeria, still a third group in the Chantiers de Jeunesse (comprising about 20,000 trained young men) and a further element headed by a prominent French business man38 who is the subject of my confidential letter to the Undersecretary dated December 7, 1941,39 a copy of which I enclose for your information. The latter offers interesting possibilities, and is submitting further data relating to the character and volume of military aid which would be necessary.
[Page 228]What I think I should know is whether you feel that encouragement should be given to such ideas. For example, the last mentioned group insist that they have from us some indication whether our Government would approve such a plan of independent French North African action, in principle. They feel that if they have our agreement in principle it will be comparatively easy to build up a powerful organization throughout French Africa, including French West Africa. They say that little progress can be made without such an agreement.
I might add that even during General Weygand’s regime I received a number of similar suggestions which I was careful to ignore on the theory that our traditional friendly policy toward France was working for the support in French Africa of a friendly French administration, and that our role was to encourage the latter in resisting the Axis.
Now, frankly, I am at sea, but I have the feeling that under the changed conditions we should not ignore and discourage responsible elements who are actuated by a desire to resume hostilities. That desire, of course, always revolves around the question of American military support, that is, matériel, munitions and technicians. As matters now stand, I simply tell these people what the President has said in his public declarations of our desire to aid all those who offer resistance to Axis aggression. I should be very grateful if you would tell me that is as far as I can go or whether our policy now may contemplate more specific intervention.
I hope you will appreciate the spirit in which this letter is written. I do feel that I should have some clarification of the direction in which we are going in this area.
With warm regards and apologies for tossing this on your doorstep, I am,
Sincerely yours,
- J. Lemaigre-Dubreuil.↩
- Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. ii, p. 494.↩