862.33/275
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State
The British Ambassador72 called to see me at my request this morning.
The Ambassador said that he had received last night a telegram from Mr. Eden73 who said that he had been informed of the entrance into the harbor of Fort-de-France, Martinique, of a German submarine in order to discharge for hospitalization a gravely wounded sailor. Mr. Eden desired this Government to know that in his opinion the United States Government should immediately have proceeded to occupy Martinique as a result of this incident.
I said to the Ambassador that I thought it would be useful for his Government to be informed that the Government of the United States felt itself quite competent to decide this question for itself. I stated that there were many considerations regarding the occupation of Martinique by the United States which had not, perhaps, occurred to Mr. Eden. Among these, I said, were the persistent efforts made by the United States during the last 18 months, at the urgent request and insistence of the British Government, to maintain effective influence over the Vichy Government so as to prevent the transfer into German hands of the French fleet and the occupation of North Africa by German forces. I said that perhaps it had not occurred to Mr. Eden that the occupation in this way by the United States of Martinique could hardly have resulted in anything other than a complete break of relations between Vichy and the United States. Furthermore, I said, Mr. Eden may not have been informed that the United States is a party to an inter-American convention74 which provides for joint agreement between the American Republics when it becomes necessary for the American Republics or one of them to take over jurisdiction of the Western Hemisphere possessions of some non-American power. I concluded by saying that I trusted that this information regarding the entrance of this German submarine into Fort-de-France would not immediately be given to the press by the British Government. At the very moment when the United States was doing its utmost to obtain complete and satisfactory assurances from the Vichy Government with regard to vital [Page 620] questions now under discussion, a deliberate leakage of this character would not be conducive to the success of our efforts.
Lord Halifax said he agreed and would inform Mr. Eden accordingly.
- Viscount Halifax.↩
- Anthony Eden, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Convention for the Provisional Administration of European Colonies and Possessions in the Americas between the United States and other American Republics, signed at Habana July 30, 1940. For text, see Department of State Treaty Series No. 977, or 56 Stat. (pt. 2) 1273.↩