740.0011 European War 1939/21086: Telegram

The Consul General at Algiers (Cole) to the Secretary of State

248. Personal for the Acting Secretary from Murphy.11 Your 104, April 16, 4 p.m.12 After conversations with the leaders involved in my March 14,13 it was decided 4 days ago to send one of them who knows Laval14 well to Vichy to ascertain the lay of the land. He saw Laval on yesterday for an hour returning today by plane to Algiers. We dined together this evening and the following is a brief account of his conversation with Laval:

In reply to a direct question Laval stated he still believes in a German victory. Our friend suggested that he had put the question unofficially as a friend and as they were alone he wanted the lowdown and not what Laval had to say officially to the Germans adding that 4 months ago in a conversation with our friends at Paris Laval had not expressed the same conviction. Laval reiterated in a less positive tone that he believed in a German victory but that he hoped for a negotiated peace. Laval talked at length about his qualifications as the eventual mediator between the United States and Germany repeating the old clichés we heard in 1940 even mentioning his American son-in-law. Laval said that his name was being dragged in the mud by the American press and radio during the past week but that with time they would become persuaded of their error and his merits.

Our friend said Laval is worried and apprehensive having heavy police protection. He is disappointed over his inability to include certain personalities in his Cabinet mentioning chiefly de Monzie, Bonnet, and Bergery.

The conversation then came to the matter which I hope justifies this telegram. Laval disclaimed knowledge that the two North African ships had been held up by our decision. Our friend said that while Laval professed the greatest interest in French Africa everyone knows that Laval’s imagination stops at the continental frontier and that he really cares little and knows less about French [Page 286] Africa. He professed to our friend an intention to work for continued cooperation between the United States and French Africa. Our friend told him that he intended to stay in contact with me and Laval inquired why I remained in Africa saying he wanted me to come to Vichy to talk about this and other questions.

Our friend parted with the conviction that we have several weeks time before the Laval organization gets into action in French Africa as he has much to do in metropolitan France. Jacques Guérard appointed in the new Government as Secretary General to the Chef du Gouvernement it is understood will “coordinate” French African Affairs. He is definitely bad news. As former Chef de Cabinet of Paul Baudouin15 he was responsible for much Franco-German collaboration. It is also rumored that a German with the rank of Consul General named Rahn who accompanied Guérard to Syria in January 1941 will undertake similar activity in this area. It is also rumored that the present Secretariat General for French Africa now under the sympathetic direction of Admiral Fénard will be suppressed.

Our contact emphasized in the strongest terms that we have nothing to gain by any sincere effort to cooperate with the present French Government, and for French Africa we should urgently contemplate action along the lines of the plan outlined in my March 14. Our friend said Darlan16 officially now represents exactly zero. Darlan has accepted a gift of a Rothschild (presumably Edouard)17 yacht for his lifetime use as Admiral of the Fleet and also a gift from the state of a property of 1,000 acres. This story is causing a profound impression in Navy circles here.

Our friend and the group in whom we are interested signal a tense atmosphere growing in volume on the part of the French military.

In France he said for the first time since the Armistice a group of officers protested against the execution of Frenchmen in the occupied zone requesting permission to take leave and proceed there as civilians to engage in guerilla warfare against the Germans.

In North Africa there has been an important meeting of general officers about which I shall report. There are signs of tension in other quarters. You know that the C. O. I.18 has authorized the delivery of certain war matériel to this area as well as payment of funds to the group the subject of my March 14. The regular Army is interested in the matériel. You will appreciate my impatience when it is considered that there is a possibility of throwing several hundred thousand trained men especially French officers and noncommissioned officers into the fight on our side.

[Page 287]

I cannot urge you too strongly to enable me to give these people some immediate encouragement if this is at all possible. I think this an opportunity we should take at the time. I know it may be unfair to mention it but practically a year has elapsed without to my knowledge the offer to our friends in this area of as much as a cap pistol as practical encouragement. May I renew the recommendation made in my 203, April 2, 10 a.m.,19 referred to in Department’s 111, April 18, 4 a.m. [p.m.],20 for the assignment of Louis Fortier21 as special representative to discuss technical military questions.

Our friend proceeds tomorrow to Dakar where he will obtain the reaction of High Commissioner Boisson22 who left Vichy this week thoroughly disgusted. There are rumors of Weygand’s23 return but I am unable to confirm them. [Murphy.]

Cole
  1. Robert D. Murphy, Counselor of Embassy in France, on special assignment in French North Africa to control and supervise the economic aid program.
  2. Ante, p. 284.
  3. Letter of March 14, p. 263.
  4. Pierre Laval was appointed French Chief of Government on April 18, 1942; for correspondence on this subject, see pp. 154 ff. After Laval’s return to power, Acting Secretary of State Welles had stated to the press that plans for resumption of economic assistance to French North Africa would be held in abeyance (Department of State Bulletin, April 18, 1942, p. 337).
  5. Paul Baudouin, French Minister for Foreign Affairs, June–October 1940.
  6. Adm. Jean Francois Darlan, Commander in Chief of all French Armed Forces.
  7. French banker.
  8. Coordinator of Information, Col. William J. Donovan.
  9. Ante, p. 278.
  10. Ante, p. 284.
  11. Former Assistant Military Attaché in Paris.
  12. Pierre Boisson, High Commissioner in French West Africa.
  13. Gen. Maxime Weygand, former Delegate General of the French Government in North Africa; for correspondence concerning his removal, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. ii, pp. 455 ff.