851.01/1080: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Algiers ( Wiley )
576. For Murphy—personal from the Secretary. The Anglo-American policy concerning France has been discussed on various occasions during Mr. Eden’s visit. I do not gain the impression that either Eden or Lord Halifax was very much impressed with the advisability of the British Government taking action from time to time to indicate solidarity with the American viewpoint, particularly in the matter of the division among the French. Our own viewpoint is well-known to you and conforms with last paragraph of your telegram 464 March 23, 11 a.m. (See also your 422 Mar 18, 5 p.m.)
Mr. Eden said that it was his understanding that de Gaulle did not want either a government or a provisional government set up, that he does desire a union of all French forms of authority and that the idea of de Gaulle, Massigli and Catroux was the establishment of a unified French authority which could deal with situations with respect to the French questions all over the world. He asked whether there would be any objection on our part to the setting up and recognition of some central authority of this kind. In an attempt to crystallize the issue, Lord Halifax then said the question could be divided into two parts: (1) Was it desirable for Giraud and de Gaulle to get together; and (2) In getting together and making it clear that the formation of their organization was purely temporary and did not prejudice any future authority for France, was it possible for them to form some organism comparable to the French National Committee?
I said that if such a committee were formulated it was absolutely essential to avoid the picture that was presented by some of the refugee governments in London which will try to go back to their [Page 83] countries and attempt to go through the transition period in that country and to carry on their authority which they have continued to exercise while they were refugee governments. I said that particularly in the case of France which had no government it seemed to me that it would be inadvisable for any political power to be assumed by such an organization. Mr. Eden said that it was their view that the British Government would say “no” to any question of a Government of France, even provisional, but did not object to a rather larger French National Committee which would be composed of a joint group of people from both sides; that the British Government would consider that they were not officials nor clothed with any official authority but that they were merely place holders temporarily dealing with questions which might affect French interests everywhere, and that he sincerely hoped, although he doubted the real possibility of such an eventuation, that there would be some such meeting of minds between the two factions.
If the two factions are not able to arrive at some working arrangement satisfactory to both of them and which will fulfill our requirement that no provisional government may expect recognition by us, it will become absolutely essential that the British and American Governments decide between themselves as to the policies which will be pursued by our two Governments with respect to the different French factions. In view of our immediate interest in the North African situation by reason of the presence of American armed forces in that French territory, and in view of the spirit of cooperation already manifested by the French North African authorities toward this country’s primary objective of defeating the Axis, we have every intention of continuing to render all the assistance and cooperation practicable to the French North African authorities with respect to the territories over which they exercise authority.
Repeated to London.