740.001 E. W. 1939/26220
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)
M. Tixier came in to see me, at his request.
He observed that the condition of the world had changed since we last met. After some general conversation about the North African expedition,79 M. Tixier came to the point.
He said that General de Gaulle in London had urged everyone to cooperate with the American expedition. They were glad that General Giraud had undertaken to rally Frenchmen to fight.80 So far as the Fighting French were concerned, everyone thought that the North African expedition was first-rate.
But, he said, there was always the danger that the French resistance might become divided. He had no message from his Government, but speaking on his own account, he hoped we would keep in mind the desirability of unifying, and keeping unified, the French forces who are fighting the Axis.
I said that this was a matter to which we were continuously giving time and thought; and that we, too, hoped that all French resistance might be, and remain, united. In this regard, I said General de Gaulle’s speech had been excellent. I said that we were, of course, feeling our way, since the North African operation was still too young to permit any clear picture of how the political forces would work out.
M. Tixier then said that he had had some fleeting ideas as to what might be done, though he did not urge them. It might be that General Giraud might at once be made a member of the French National Committee; and might promptly be named High Commissioner for North Africa. I said I noted the suggestion but could not, of course, comment on it at this time. (It must have been obvious to Tixier, as it was to me, that this was really a polite invitation to General Giraud to accept a position under General de Gaulle’s orders.) I said that the matter of the existence of France and the maintenance of French resistance was a cause which far transcended any personalities, and that if all personal interests were subordinated in the supreme effort to liberate France, I thought there would be no ultimate difficulty.
- See pp. 429 ff. General de Gaulle had not been previously informed; see Winston S. Churchill, The Hinge of Fate, pp. 604–606, and The Memoirs of Cordell Hull, vol. ii, pp. 1195–1196.↩
- By pre-arrangement Gen. Henri Giraud left France and accompanied the American forces occupying North Africa to take command of French forces there.↩