740.00115 European War 1939/5545
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State (Berle)
Last night after dinner I met up with Sir Ronald Campbell.88 Our conversation came around to North Africa.
I said I was thoroughly concerned and unhappy about the situation. I thought that in Britain there was a feeling that General de Gaulle should promptly be imposed on North Africa by our forces in some fashion or other; and that the cry for “unification” meant handing everything over to de Gaulle. I said that to me it was amazing that this sort of issue should be precipitated in the midst of a critical battle, in respect of which, incidentally the news was not too good.
[Page 557]I said that the curious and sharp difference of opinion had led me to do some thinking. Apparently the difference lay in a complete conflict in our interpretation of the basic facts, as against the British. In that case it ought to be possible to get together and find out what the facts really were. If there was a conflict in policy, then that was another question.
Sir Ronald promptly agreed. He said if there was a difference in policy, the only possible safety was to get at this, hammer out the question and reach an agreement.
I said this was my view and that I was very much concerned. Hammering away in the propaganda press and so forth could do nothing but make relations unhappy between the two countries, and as a matter of incidental but highly important interest, probably endanger safety in North Africa.
- British Minister in the United States.↩