851R.00/504
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The British Ambassador called to see me this morning at my request.
Lord Halifax spoke about developments in North Africa and the statement issued last night by Admiral Darlan. He said he felt that the statement had helped very much to clarify the situation and would meet with a satisfactory response from public opinion in England as well as in the United States. He told me, for my confidential information, of a personal message he had had last night from Prime Minister Churchill stating that the secret session of the House of Commons with regard to the Darlan question had been completely satisfactory, that the opinion of the members of the House had been practically unanimous in favor of the position taken by the British Government, and that Mr. Churchill had absolutely no “political difficulty” in connection with this matter.