Office of the Historian

740.00112A E.W. 1939/36493: Telegram

The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State

London, February 23, 1944.
[Received February 23—3:02 p.m.]

1482. For Russell, World Trade. Reference Algiers’ 207, November 3 to London, 1579 to Department.23 Following is excerpt from letter of February 21 from London of MEW concerning French request for further cooperation in blacklist matters.24 With reference to paragraph numbered 2 below, Embassy’s 2778, April 21,23 discussed MEW’s attitude regarding cooperation with French in listing matters.

  • “2. We have now agreed that the British representative in Algiers should be instructed to reply to the French to the effect that we feel unable at the present time to go beyond the arrangement made last April: that we agree that the local French representatives in the neutral European capitals concerned should be consulted by our Missions before recommendations for the listing or deletion of French nationals or French-controlled firms are made to London. In any case where this has not already been done, we are prepared to send appropriate instructions to the British Missions concerned.
  • 3. We understood from Russell when he was here that he would be prepared to agree to this and that, if necessary, appropriate instructions would be sent to the American Missions in these countries.
  • 4. I should be very grateful if you could confirm with the Department of State that they would have no objections to a reply being sent on these lines.
  • 5. Unfortunately there have been a number of delays in this case (the French note was dated 18th October) and I should like to be able to give them a reply in the near future. If possible therefore I should be glad if you could ask Washington to send us their comments fairly urgently.”
Winant
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. The French list was known as the “List of Official Enemies” and was published in the Bulletin Officiel.↩
  3. Not printed.↩