882.796/25
Memorandum by Mr. Harry A. McBride62
[Washington,] November 6, 1942.
About your memorandum63 to Mr. Berle, these are my thoughts:
- 1.
- That although the United States has complete jurisdiction over the air fields in Liberia, Liberia gave up that jurisdiction because of implicit trust that they would not be used for any other purpose than for waging war against the Axis powers in the defense of Liberia if that became necessary.
- 2.
- Before I left Liberia this time, suspicion and rumor were beginning to make themselves felt that we were a little slow in taking complete defense measures in accordance with our agreement and were beginning to let in a visitor who because of past history and performance in Liberia would always be mistrusted and unwelcome. They had said that they would of course understand if we were to allow the use of these facilities to any of the Allied Nations in case of emergency. It is not as if this was American territory and I feel we are honor bound not to increase their suspicion and perhaps even change their whole attitude toward us by allowing the British unrestricted use of these facilities.
- 3.
- The Liberians would understand if we asked the British to station a few planes at these air fields to assist in sea patrol until the time we may be able to do this necessary task.
- 4.
- In any event, it seems to me that this is completely a military matter and should not be handled by the Department of State without further consultation with the War Department. It is their responsibility to defend, to use and operate these air fields. Every request of the British has been on a suspiciously ambitious scale. Is there any good military reason for asking us to build fifty-six large barracks buildings at Fisherman Lake where fifteen Catalinas would be stationed for patrol work? Why should not these planes be stationed at Freetown where the British have facilities for constructing barracks, furnishing supplies, and major overhaul of the planes? There would never be any question if they needed to stop at Fisherman Lake in an emergency to refuel but I see no good reason for actually stationing the planes at Fisherman Lake which is only one hundred miles from Freetown. I have seen several of these British requests for use of facilities in Liberia. They have all been without any explanation for the reasons why and none of them have any specific details. I do not think the War Department should be asked to decide upon the use of Liberian air fields by the British commercial air lines until it is given specific information as to the number of planes involved, the number of people they would expect to station at these fields and the specific saving that would be made in the amount of freight the planes could carry. Here again I can not see why their landing point should not be at Sierra Leone which is only one hundred miles away, it of course being understood that in any case of emergency they could always stop at Liberian air fields where the ground crews would be instructed to refuel them.
- 5.
- All of us want to do everything we can in the common war effort, but these air fields are in a foreign country. They have been placed under our jurisdiction and it would be hard to explain to the Liberians why the common war effort would not be served by merely refueling British planes—and especially commercial planes in cases [Page 418] of emergency—rather than to have the British set up elaborate stations of their own at these points, when their own colony is so few miles distant.