851B.20/146
The French High Commissioner in the French West Indies (Robert) to Mr. Samuel Reber, Representative of the Department of State in Martinique12
Admiral Robert to Mr. Samuel Reber: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of November 13 in which you inform me that the Government of the United States has given its approval to the text of the agreement which we had established and the draft of which had been completed November 6.
This agreement is not, however, to be signed and should be considered a gentlemen’s agreement.
I take note of this agreement and I undertake to abide by it.
Your Government has, however, made an important reservation against which I cannot but react. It considers that under present circumstances the Chief of the French State no longer enjoys independence vis-à-vis the German authorities and for that reason cannot permit me to continue to communicate with him in code.
This interpretation is incorrect. I have just received formal confirmation thereof by a telegram from the Secretariat of State for the Colonies. The Government of Marshal Pétain has complete liberty of communication both at home and abroad.
Furthermore, the Marshal would never have given way to a curtailment of French sovereignty, particularly in this respect.
I must moreover insist upon the necessity, imposed upon us by our situation and from which your Government can only look for benefits, of sending certain important messages in code, the contents of which should remain unknown to the Germans.
My attitude in the past, the formal engagement which I have undertaken to preserve strict neutrality are positive guarantees of the trust which you can place in me. You may rest assured that the [Page 649] information thus transmitted will not be utilized by Axis powers against American interests.
It seems most important to me that your Government might change its decision. I request your urgent intervention to this end.
With reference to means of payment and purchases of the colonies in this Hemisphere, I propose the following organization which has already been suggested to your Government by the French Ambassador: it is necessary to maintain a mission in New York to liquidate French financial matters; this mission could be headed by Monsieur Marquais, Payeur Général of the French State in the United States; Monsieur Marquais could be authorized to perform the financial and commercial transactions, formerly conducted on behalf of the French Antilles and Guiana by him, the Financial Attaché and the Commercial Attaché. Methods of administration will be proposed as soon as I am able to communicate with Monsieur Marquais.
- Copy in translation transmitted to the Department by Mr. Reber in his despatch of November 17; received November 24.↩