851B.20/278
The French Ambassador (Henry-Haye) to the Secretary of
State
[Translation]
Washington, June 3,
1942.
The Ambassador of France in the United States presents his compliments to
His Excellency the Secretary of State and, acting on instructions from
his Government, has the honor to forward to him herewith, for purposes
of information, a copy of the note which was
[Page 640]
transmitted directly to Mr. Samuel Reber by
Admiral Robert, High Commissioner in the West Indies.
Mr. Henry-Haye is happy to take this occasion to renew [etc.]
[Enclosure—Translation]
The French High Commissioner in the French West
Indies (Robert) to Mr.
Samuel Reber, Representative
of the Department of State in Martinique
- 1.
- The French Government has studied the proposals made in the
American memorandum of May 23.3
- 2.
- It draws therefrom a more accurate understanding of the
situation, particularly with regard to the regularization of the
relations existing between the French Government and its
representative in the West Indies, Admiral Robert.
- 3.
- It has given the latter all necessary instructions to proceed
with the American negotiators to an examination of the
suggestions presented in the memorandum of May 23 and replied to
the questions posed therein.
- 4.
- With respect to the utilization of the merchant ships, the
French Government cannot agree to the American proposal
providing for their chartering to a company to be established in
a neutral South American country. Such a solution would be in
contradiction to the obligations entailed on it by the armistice
conventions and, on that account, cannot be considered. The
French Government, since the armistice, has not chartered
merchant ships to another party except with the agreement of all
the belligerents.
- 5.
- The French Government is still compelled to maintain its
proposal of May 13 for the immobilization of merchant ships in
West Indian waters, except those the movements of which are
strictly necessary to carry on the economic life of the islands
and indispensable relations with French North Africa, that is:
the Saint-Domingue, the Guadeloupe, the Duc d’Aumale,
together with the Angoulême, the Merope, the Indiana, the Mont Everest and,
if possible an oil tanker, the Oregon on
the one hand and the Sagittaire on the
other.
- 6.
- The French Government hopes that this question of merchant
tonnage, of a relatively low amount if compared with the present
amounts being built or destroyed in the world, will not create
any obstacle to the conclusion of an agreement which should make
possible, with respect for French sovereignty and neutrality, a
settlement of the problems arising in the French possessions in
the Western Hemisphere from the war.
