Foreign Relations of the United States, Conference at Quebec, 1944

740.0011 Pacific War/8–2944

Memorandum by the Deputy Director of the Office of European Affairs (Matthews)

top secret

[Washington,] August 29, 1944.

Memorandum of Telephone Conversation

Participants:	Mr. Michael Wright, Mr. D. D. Maclean, British Embassy,
	Mr. Matthews.

I telephoned Mr. Michael Wright of the British Embassy and referred to Lord Halifax’s call upon me on August 26th¹ with regard to the British desire to agree with M. Massigli to the attachment to the South East Asia Command headquarters of a French Military Mission under General Blaizot and the establishment in India of a “Corps Léger d’Intervention”. I told Mr. Wright that we had now received an indication from the President that the matter was one which should be deferred until the forthcoming meeting between high British and American authorities.² Mr. Wright said he understood.

Mr. Maclean of the British Embassy called me back later in the day to say that he had a copy of the attached letter dated August 29, 1944,³ (he did not say where it had been obtained) in which our Joint Chiefs of Staff gave some indication that there was no military objection to acceding to the British request. I informed Mr. Maclean that I had not yet seen the letter; that when I did I would get in touch with Admiral Leahy, but that I did not see how the letter could in any way modify the President’s reply. Upon receiving the Joint Chiefs of Staff letter shortly thereafter, I telephoned Admiral Leahy and then informed Mr. Maclean that the Joint Chiefs of Staff letter to the Secretary of State was merely intended to convey their views on the military aspect of the questions posed and could in no way of course be considered as modifying the position which the President had taken of which I had informed Mr. Wright, namely, that consideration of the question must be deferred until the meeting in question.⁴

H F[reeman] M[atthews]

1. See ante, p. 247.
2. See ante, p. 251.
3. Supra.
4. No record has been found of a discussion of this specific matter at the Second Quebec Conference, and an aide-mémoire from the British Embassy dated November 22, 1944, stated: “It was anticipated that this discussion would take place at the Quebec Conference, but in fact the subject was never raised.” See Foreign Relations, 1944, vol. iii, p. 782. Cf. post, p. 298.