740.00112 European War 1939/5629

Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle) 34

As suggested, I took up today at the meeting of the J.I.C.35 the question as to what value they attached to the continuance of our consular representation and the maintenance of our control officers in North Africa and West Africa.

The J.I.C. will answer this in writing; but the view is unanimous that the presence of these men in North and West Africa was of “very substantial value”. Particular importance was attached to the representation at Casablanca and at Dakar; to which they assimilated the representation at Tangier, though this stands, of course, on a different basis.

The view was expressed that it would be desirable to go to considerable lengths to create a situation in which this representation could be maintained. Appreciation was expressed of the value of the information which had come heretofore; less military information had been received in the past few weeks than otherwise, principally because there had been no great developments in North [Page 295] Africa; and it was pointed out that once this representation and the control officers were withdrawn there would be, virtually, a blackout of an entire and crucial region.

A representative of the Board of Economic Warfare, Mr. Stone,36 specifically stated that the Board of Economic Warfare had convinced itself of the desirability of continuing this representation, and considered that the trickle of supplies proceeding to North Africa was in no way detrimental, under the circumstances, to the program of economic warfare.

I state this because I believe it of importance in determining whether the ship destined for French Africa and now held, by our direction, should be allowed to proceed.

A[dolf] A. B[erle], Jr.
  1. Addressed to the Under Secretary of State (Welles) and the Adviser on Political Relations (Murray).
  2. Joint Intelligence Committee.
  3. William Stone, Assistant Director in Chargé of Exports.