702.6282/46
Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by the Adviser on Political Relations (Murray)
I called Mr. Hoyer Millar72 of the British Embassy by telephone this afternoon, on Mr. Welles’ instructions, to inform him of the view of the War Department that it was desired that the departure of the German Consul General from Monrovia be made, as planned, by French plane; that the War Department was sure the Consul General had no information regarding our military activities in Liberia which had not already been cabled or radioed out of the country.
Mr. Hoyer Millar informed me that the communication which had been received from London, and which was conveyed to Mr. Welles this morning by Lord Halifax, was motivated by the desire of the British Government not to grant safe conduct to the German Consul General’s flight from Monrovia prior to receiving word from us that we desired [Page 430] the flight to take place. He added, however, that the decision of the War Department was quite all right and that in any case “it is their funeral”.
Mr. Hoyer Millar’s interpretation of Mr. Eden’s message does not appear to coincide fully with that of Lord Halifax.
- F. R. Hoyer Millar, First Secretary of the British Embassy.↩