President Roosevelt to the British Prime Minister (Churchill)98
544. For the Former Naval Person. Your 68299 received. I am in complete agreement with you that the French National Spirit should be working with us in Overlord to prevent unnecessary loss of American and British lives.
You are fully informed in regard to my belief that Allied military power should not be used to impose any particular group as the Government of the French people.
At the present time I am unable to see how an Allied establishment of the Committee as a Government of France would save the lives of any of our men.
Any assistance that the Committee or any other Frenchmen can give to our Army of liberation is of course highly desirable from our point of view as well as to the interest of France.
I am hopeful that your conversations with General De Gaulle will result in inducing him to actually assist in the liberation of France without being imposed by us on the French people as their Government. Self determination really means absence of coercion.