851.01/3881: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Acting American Representative to the French Committee of National Liberation at Algiers (Chapin)
1704. This is for Murphy and Chapin. Joint Chiefs of Staff have recommended to Combined Chiefs the dispatch to General Wilson for transmission to General de Gaulle of a message of which following is paraphrase:1
“During last 3 months the supplying of resistance groups in France has been carried out as combined operation by British and United States forces as integral part of over-all operational scheme for defeat of Germany and liberation of France. British and American resources, including means of delivery, have been used as a common pool for supply of resistance groups and not as exclusive responsibility of either country. For this purpose operations have been carried out by SCAEF2 and SACMED3 who are employing the combined resources at their disposal in a way to fulfill as effectively as possible the over-all operational requirements in the theaters under their command. These facts are being brought to your attention by the CCS for the purpose of clarifying what appears to be a misunderstanding [Page 693] on your part concerning the above subject as evidenced by remarks attributed to you in the course of your April 21 press conference.”
Final sentence of message refers to report of Russell Hill, published in New York Herald Tribune April 22, stating that de Gaulle expressed satisfaction at the British efforts and “emphasized that they were solely British efforts” to arm resistance groups.
It seems possible that above message as drafted may prove unacceptable to the British and consequently it is not at all certain that it will go forward as a CCS directive as now contemplated by Joint Chiefs. The Department considers it important, however, that the facts an which the proposed message is based should be known as widely as possible in view of widespread tendency to portray this Government as indifferent if not actively hostile to arming of resistance groups. In circumstances it is suggested that you lose no opportunity discreetly to emphasize whenever possible the joint nature of the operations in question.
For your information General Eisenhower has reported that he will fully explain this Government’s position in the matter to General Koenig.4
Sent to Algiers, repeated to London for Phillips.
- No evidence has been found as to whether this message was transmitted.↩
- Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force.↩
- Supreme Allied Commander, Mediterranean Theater of Operations.↩
- Appointed by French Committee of National Liberation as military delegate for the French Zone of the theater of operations to be established after D-Day.↩