The British Prime Minister (Churchill) to President Roosevelt 72
798. I have been reflecting about the question of recognition of the French Provisional Government. I think events have now moved to a point where we could take a decision on the matter consistently [Page 740] with your own policy and my latest statement in the House of Commons.74
In your telegram number 62375 you said that you thought that we should wait until France was cleared of the enemy and you implied that in any case de Gaulle must first show himself ready to take over from Eisenhower full responsibility for the administration of part of France as an interior zone. I for my part took the line in Parliament that the reorganization of the Consultative Assembly on a more representative basis ought to precede recognition.
I understand that Eisenhower is anxious to comply with the request he has already had from the French to constitute a large part of France into an interior zone. Negotiations between Supreme Headquarters and the French are making good progress and it appears that we may expect about three-quarters of France to become an interior zone very shortly.
The enlargement of the Consultative Assembly is also making good progress. Duff Cooper reports that owing to very real difficulties of communications in France, French have found it impracticable to proceed with the original Algiers plan of getting members of an enlarged assembly confirmed in their mandates by elections in liberated departments. They propose instead to add selected delegates from the resistance movement and parliamentary groups[.] I understand it is hoped to settle matter shortly and publish a new decree defining attributions of the reformed assembly and giving it increased powers over the executive. It is thought that the enlarged assembly should be able to meet at the end of this month.
There is no doubt that the French have been cooperating with Supreme Headquarters and that their Provisional Government has the support of the majority of French people. I suggest therefore that we can now safely recognize General de Gaulle’s administration as the Provisional Government of France.
One procedure might be to tell the French now that we will recognize as soon as the enlarged assembly has met and has given de Gaulle’s administration a vote of confidence.
An alternative procedure would be to recognize as soon as the interior zone has been formally established. I am inclined to think that this alternative is preferable as it would connect recognition with what will be a mark of satisfactory cooperation between the French authorities and A.E.F. in the common cause against Germany.
Please tell me what you think. If you agree that we should settle the matter by one or other of the procedures suggested above, the Foreign Office and State Dept might at once compare their ideas upon [Page 741] the actual terms in which we should give recognition. It is important that we should take the same line although we need not necessarily adopt exactly the same wording. We should have of course also to inform the Soviet Government of what we intend.
Recognition would not of course commit us on the separate question of French membership of the European Advisory Commission or similar bodies.