740.0011 European War 1939/24142b: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Dakar (Flexer)
86. For your strictly confidential information the Embassy at Vichy reports that it has been informed that Laval and Abetz46 held a conference at Nevers on August 27 to discuss Dakar. It appears that previously the Germans had sought permission to send a squadron of Stukas to Dakar, which threatened to provoke the resignation of Boisson, who is thought to have been willing to accept the Stukas but not German pilots. The Embassy has been informed that Boisson recently forwarded his resignation to the Marshal47 through Barrau but that the Marshal would not accept it on the grounds that the proposed German mission was only of a temporary character.