Office of the Historian

800.515/567a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Algiers (Wiley)

Washington, March 17, 1943—11 p.m.

477. For Murphy:11 The Treasury has proposed to the Finance Ministers of the United Nations and associated American governments the sending of an expert to Washington to enter into informal and tentative explorations of possible plans for monetary stabilization in the post-war period.

You are requested to make this known to General Giraud12 and to General Catroux13 and to inquire whether they could agree on such an expert who might assist in such exploratory discussions on the technical level by giving a French reaction to the suggestions discussed. Both the Treasury and the Department would hope that they would speak with one voice, so that we are not in the position of having the appearance of two interests, instead of one.

Cooperation between the two groups would be welcomed as a sign of increasing progress towards unity.

Hull
  1. Robert D. Murphy, U.S. Political Adviser, staff of the Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theatre; Personal Representative of the President in North Africa with rank of Minister.↩
  2. Gen. Henri Honoré Giraud, French High Commissioner in North Africa from December 26, 1942.↩
  3. Gen. Georges Catroux, member of the Council of Defence of the French Empire, of which Gen. Charles de Gaulle was president.↩