851.0144/1–2342
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs (Atherton)
The French Ambassador65 called on me by appointment. In the course of his remarks he touched upon the Islands of Madagascar and Réunion. I made a point at the end of our conversation to speak to him alone. I referred to previous conversations in which he had explained the difficulty of the French position in Indochina66 and said his further reference to Madagascar made me wish to bring his particular attention to recent assurances67 that had been given to Vichy as the policy of the United States in maintaining the integrity of the French Empire and its eventual return in full sovereignty to the French people. Since this was our stated object I felt he should keep this in mind in any interpretations he might put upon contemplated French action. I knew he would deplore as much as I would any one group of Frenchmen fighting any other group of Frenchmen, since the eventual policy of either side was undoubtedly the same in looking toward the final integrity of the French Empire. Likewise, any group of Frenchmen that under Axis duress were attempting to thwart the integrity of the French Empire were not only defeating their own interest but were counteracting the powerful support the United States had already volunteered to the same ends. I then referred to my particular point lest the appointment of Governor Decoux68 as High Commissioner might stimulate him, with Japanese support, to extend his influences into French Oceania or even as far afield as Réunion and Madagascar. I referred to the alleged Saigon radio communication with the Island of Wallis and said I trusted this was not in any way an attempt by the Japanese to use French facilities to their own ends. [Page 688] The French Ambassador said he was not prepared right away to raise this matter with his Government as coming from the State Department but he would look into such information as was available to them and raise the question again with the idea at a later date of letting Vichy know we were following this situation. In the meantime, he could assure me that he personally was in full sympathy with the views I had expressed. Further, he undertook on his own initiative to emphasize with his Government the importance of maintaining the present status quo of French possessions in the Pacific.