890D.01/602a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Beirut (Engert)
78. The Department is contemplating accrediting a “Diplomatic Agent and Consul General” to the Governments at Damascus and Beirut on a suitable occasion in the near future, at which time the following statement to the press would be issued:
“On November 29, 1941, the Department of State issued a statement4 of the American Government’s attitude concerning the status of Syria and Lebanon, in which it was pointed out that the Government of the United States had always sympathized with the aspirations of the peoples of Syria and the Lebanon for sovereign independence and consequently welcomed any step towards the realization of these aspirations.
The Government of the United States is prepared to extend formal recognition to Syria and the Lebanon as fully sovereign States as [Page 648] soon as duly constituted independent governments are established in those States, on the understanding that such governments will continue to recognize the existing treaty rights of the United States and its nationals until such time as new instruments can be negotiated regulating the relations between the United States and the two countries. Meanwhile, pending the extension of such recognition, the Government of the United States has now decided to accredit a Diplomatic Agent and Consul General to the governments at Damascus and Beirut.”
The Department would be glad to receive your comments regarding the action and the press release suggested above.
The proposed action should be considered strictly confidential until officially announced.