740.0011 Pacific War/1842a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Leahy)
82. The recent activities of Admiral Decoux have given rise to the belief that he is proposing active cooperation with the Japanese forces in the Pacific area. The Department has called to the attention of the French Embassy his recent radio broadcasts, his acceptance of a Japanese decoration and his discussions with regard to French ships in Indochina, all calculated to give the impression that he is acting in conjunction with or under Japanese duress. The French Ambassador has informed the Department that he had communicated these representations to his Government.
There is now further evidence that Decoux’s collaboration with the Japanese authorities goes all the way from negotiations with regard to food supplies to the possibilities of cooperative effort with the Japanese. You should take an early occasion to inquire on behalf of this Government what action by the French Government is contemplated in that area.