Foreign Relations of the United States: Diplomatic Papers, 1942, The Near East and Africa, Volume IV

851.85/684

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation, by Mr. Charles E. Bohlen of the Division of European Affairs

[Washington,] November 18, 1942.

I telephoned Mr. Gromyko¹⁰ in regard to the question of the French ships concerning which he made inquiry of you¹¹ this morning. On the basis of information received from NE,¹² I told him that it was our understanding that the ships in question were originally Norwegian ships which had been seized by France in 1940 and were to be delivered to Germany, and that since there was reason to believe that these ships were expected to leave Marseille, representations concerning them had been made in Ankara.

Mr. Gromyko inquired whether we knew the date of the transfer of these ships to Germany.

After inquiring again of NE on this point I told Mr. Gromyko that we had no definite information that they actually had been transferred to German registry but only that there had been an agreement to do so, and that furthermore it was not certain whether or not these ships had ever left Marseille.

10. Andrey Andreyevich Gromyko, Counselor of the Soviet Embassy.
11. Presumably the Acting Chief of the Division of European Affairs, Ray Atherton.
12. Division of Near Eastern Affairs.