851R.01/570: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 30—5:08 p.m.]
2984. The following is our No. 208, April 30, 6 p.m., to Algiers.
“For Murphy from Matthews.
Your 734, April 28, 11 p.m.18 and 742, April 29, 3 p.m., to Department.
De Gaulle is much annoyed at suggestion that this meeting with Giraud be held elsewhere than at Algiers (presumably because the public demonstrations of support he has planned could not be staged). He had Massigli approach both Eden and Admiral Stark with the [Page 108] thought that we should intervene to persuade General Giraud to receive General de Gaulle at Algiers where both would have the benefit of the presence of their advisers. Mr. Eden gave no encouragement and in fact urged him to proceed without further haggling. Admiral Stark, after consulting us, replied that in view of General de Gaulle’s insistence that these matters should be settled as between Frenchmen it seemed inappropriate for us to take the action he was requesting. In reply to the Admiral’s indication that General de Gaulle had publicly announced some time ago his desire to meet General Giraud anywhere on French territory, Massigli replied that this only referred to the first meeting which, of course, had already taken place at Casablanca.
Massigli likewise indicated that de Gaulle resented General Giraud’s insistence that he stop recruiting sailors from French North African vessels.19 A third sticky point was the question of the separation of military and civil authority. Massigli indicated that General Giraud had pointed out that the constitutions of both the French and American Republics provided that the head of the civil authority, the President in each case, is the Commander in Chief of the military forces and that the head of the provisional civil authority to be established might therefore hold at least nominal provisional command of all French forces. This idea, Massigli said, de Gaulle did not welcome. On the other hand, de Gaulle was pleased with Giraud’s acceptance of a small councilor committee over which the two Generals would jointly preside.
Repeated to Department[.”]