121.5481/38
The Chargé at Tangier (Childs) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 11.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that on the occasion of my last visit to Rabat on February 6, M. du Gardier, Chief of the Diplomatic Cabinet, informed me that Herr Auer, German Consul General in Casablanca, had spoken to him of the frequent visits of Colonel Bentley, American Military Attaché of the Legation in Tangier, to the French Protectorate.
Herr Auer was reported to have observed, as justifying his comments, that Colonel Bentley’s frequent visits to the French Protectorate concerned French security. He stated that he could cite the number and date if necessary of Colonel Bentley’s visits.
[Page 255]M. du Gardier informed me that he had made light of Herr Auer’s remarks and had explained our special treaty position in Morocco according to which the Legation in Tangier had jurisdiction over all Morocco. The Chief of the Diplomatic Cabinet stated that he had been at first loath to point out to the German Consul General our special treaty position in this respect for fear that the Germans might be given thereby a lead to demand the same position. However, Herr Auer had shown himself so thoroughly familiar with the treaty situation in Morocco that he had concluded that there was no reason to omit mention of it in his conversation for fear that he might be supplying Herr Auer with information he did not already possess.
In response to my inquiry M. du Gardier stated that the German Consul General had not as yet received his exequatur and that he has a French liaison officer with him to control his contacts with the French and native population.
M. du Gardier suggested that it would relieve the pressure on the French Protectorate authorities if Colonel Bentley would space out his visits to the French Protectorate to a somewhat greater extent and if he might find it possible to delay visiting the French Protectorate again for a little while.
The Department will recall from the Legation’s despatch no. 589, January 28, 1942,70 particularly the Spanish Consul’s71 remarks at the bottom of page 5 and top of page 6 of that despatch concerning the movements in Morocco of the military officers of the Legation, that the authorities of the Spanish Zone have also evidenced some concern about Colonel Bentley’s recent frequent journeys. In my despatch, it will be recalled, I mentioned the fact that I believed my Spanish colleague had been influenced to make the suggestion which he had regarding economy of travel on the part of our military officers both out of concern for possible pressure by the Spanish military authorities as well as owing to possible pressure on the part of the Germans. From the fact that the subject was mentioned to me by both the Spanish Consul in Tangier and the Chief of the Diplomatic Cabinet in Rabat within a brief period of time, I am inclined to conclude that German pressure on both the French and the Spanish has been more responsible than any other factor for mention of the subject by the Spanish and French.
In order to avoid pressure on both the Spanish and French from the Germans, I have suggested to Colonel Bentley and Colonel Eddy that they endeavor to confine their movements in Morocco to strict necessity and to those dictated by the exigencies of their work.
Respectfully yours,