800.796/665
The Delegation of the French Committee of National Liberation to the Department of State
The Delegation from the French Committee of National Liberation presents its compliments to the Department of State and, referring to conversations which took place during recent months between itself and the Honorable Adolf A. Berle, Jr., has the honor to call attention again to the paramount importance which the Committee of Algiers attaches to being included in the work of any International Conference which might be held for the purpose of discussing post-war civil aviation matters.
Without wishing to revert to the leading role played by France in connection with questions of air transportation ever since the beginning of aviation, this Delegation deems it advisable to support this request with the following considerations:
1. After the first world war, France had organized an extended aerial network connecting the Metropolis with continental Africa, with Asia (Indo-China), with Madagascar and with South America. In that manner, it made a very important contribution to the world system of air transports.
2. During the present war, the French Authorities placed at the complete disposal of the Allied Authorities such parts of the French aerial networks as were located in free territories. The Allied countries made great use of this network, and particularly of the facilities existing in equatorial Africa, at a time when this route had very great strategic importance with reference to operations in Libya.
[Page 422]At the present time French military aviation, with what means are at its disposal, still operates services on the following routes: Algiers–Beirut, Cairo–Beirut, Beirut–Madagascar, Beirut–Fort-Lamy, Brazzaville–Pointe–Noire, Accra–Dakar, Accra–Fort-Lamy, Brazzaville, Algiers–Casablanca–Dakar, Dakar–Gao–Fort-Lamy, Beirut–Khartoum–Madagascar.
3. Once peace is restored, France will continue to offer, in matters of air transportation, the important contribution of its territories and of its technical resources in the same spirit of collaboration which it has consistently shown before and during the war.
The Delegation from the French Committee of National Liberation takes this occasion to confirm to the Department of State that Air Brigadier General Charles Luguet, Air Attaché, has been appointed to represent it in any Franco-American or inter-Allied conversations which might be held in the United States on the subject of civil aviation.68
- In replying on March 28, the Secretary of State informed the Delegation that no plans had as yet been made for an aviation conference but that when such a conference should be convened the interest of the French Committee would be given sympathetic consideration.↩