851.01/2223: Telegram
The Consul General at Algiers (Wiley) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 8—1:07 a.m.]
1059. For the President and Secretary from Murphy. This is the state of affairs on [apparent omission] no seven [sic] in a situation which seems to be progressing in an orderly fashion. Barring accidents, I believe the results will be satisfactory to you.
The French Committee meets daily and while there has been much discussion of a general nature, most of it has been concentrated on questions of organization. The following decisions have been taken in addition to the replacement of Peyrouton by Catroux as Governor General of Algeria, and of Noguès, Resident General of Morocco by [Page 140] Gabriel Puaux: The assignment of Foreign Affairs to René Massigli; Interior to André Philip as regards metropolitan France; Interior Affairs of Overseas Territories to Perillier; Finance to Couve de Murville; Armaments, Supplies and Reconstruction to Jean Monnet; Communications and Merchant Marine to René Mayer; Justice, Health and Education to Jules Abadie; Colonies to René Pleven; Labor to Tixier; Production and Commerce to Diethelm; Moslem Affairs and Public Security to Georges Catroux, in addition to his duties as Governor General of Algeria; Information and Propaganda to Henri Bonnet. The additional appointees will have the rank of Commissioners and will be subordinate to the Committee.
General Georges will be for the moment without portfolio. Giraud and de Gaulle preside alternately.
Bethouart is to return to Washington promptly to continue as head of the mission with Hoppenot. It is planned that after some weeks he may be replaced, when the situation has developed completely. Bethouart would then receive an appropriate army command and [apparent omission].
The question of the CinC of the French Forces has not been formally decided and will come up for discussion again tomorrow, but there seems to be a spirit of confidence that a satisfactory solution will be found leaving Giraud in command with reorganization and modernization of the military establishment. This will probably be handled by the small War Cabinet which he formed, the discussion of which has not been completed.
De Gaulle is trying to split the command between troops in active operations under Giraud and the rest under another general approved by him.
There is no change in the status of Governor General Boisson and the de Gaulle element is not pushing this matter. They understand your feeling about Boisson and give indication that they intend to respect it.
Yesterday the de Gaulle organization “Combat” held a meeting presided over by General de Gaulle which went off quietly. The belief that de Gaulle planned to develop Combat into a political party to serve his own purposes is dwindling although in his speech to the Congress de Gaulle stated that “Fighting France” has decided to remain, in order and with enthusiasm, the guide of the rebirth of France! I discussed this with General Giraud this afternoon. He said there was an active debate in the Committee meeting this morning during the course of which he pointed out that de Gaulle’s public statement smacked of the Hitlerian. He said de Gaulle had adopted position of the “Entschlossener Fuehrer”. De Gaulle vigorously denied any such intention but sentiment of the Committee supported Giraud’s view. It was of course necessary for de Gaulle to meet with [Page 141] those who have supported him during the past but its leaders including André Philip have improved their education during recent days and begin to understand that such a party would not serve the democratic principles which they have so loudly proclaimed. There has been some criticism that the meeting was held without prior authorization from local authorities. Philip’s conduct under Monnet’s influence—and Monnet has worked hard on Philip since his arrival here—has been particularly satisfactory. He is reported to have said that democratic principles are more in evidence here than they have been in London.
For your secret information, de Gaulle said frankly yesterday that he perceives that he is being bound hand and foot by being submerged in the collective action of the Committee. He notices that on several questions which have been debated in the Committee he has been alone. As I see it, there is, however, the risk that he may, in a fit of ambition, resign prematurely, which would be most undesirable. If he can be held within the framework of the Committee for another 4 weeks, whether he then resigns or not would be comparatively unimportant, as the situation would have so crystallized and French unity become so developed that it could withstand the shock.
De Gaulle’s present detachment from too lofty position he occupied on Mount Sinai, and caught as he is in the meshes of the collective mechanism, is a happy development because I believe we had progressed with the French structure here as far as was possible on the personal responsibility of Giraud. The latter found himself unable to take further decisions involving change of personalities and political construction for the future which properly should be the responsibility of a collective body.
In addition, the Executive Committee plans the organization of a consultative council, probably under the chairmanship of Queuille, former Minister of Agriculture, and composed of elected legislative officials such as councilors general, senators and deputies.
Once the complete organization is established and functioning, there should be an effective safeguard against the acquisition by any one man of personal power and all that implies for the future.
Sent to the Department. Repeated to London. [Murphy.]