890d.01/7–545: Telegram

No. 640
The Ambassador in France ( Caffery ) to the Secretary of State

secret

4035. The Lebanese Minister1 tells me that he had an optimistic conversation this morning with Bidault who told him that French have definitely decided to turn over the “Troupes Spéciales” to his Govt and to evacuate all French forces from the Levant as soon as the Brit evacuate theirs. They have abandoned for the time being [Page 967] the plan for a naval base and will only take it up again if they are authorized to do so by the recently created world organization.

Bidault said that he was pleased with the contact made yesterday by his representatives with Lebanese Minister of FonAffairs and he insisted that Count Ostrorog has very “liberar” instructions in regard to reaching full agreement with the Lebanese Govt.

The Minister went on to say that his Govt works with Syrian Govt in regard to relations with France in complete accord and that an early meeting will be held between the respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs to discuss the most recent French proposals. He observed that in Syria feeling was much higher than in the Lebanon and he remarked that not a single Frenchman remained in Syria except in a few outposts in the Alaouite and adjacent regions; all other Frenchmen have been evacuated from Syria to Lebanon.

The Minister then referred to conversations which he has under way with Quai d’Orsay with regard to negotiating some sort of a consular convention. His immediate objective is to send a Lebanese Consul to Dakar. The French have promised to comply with their wishes but have been delaying the matter. His Govt now threatens to turn Lebanese interests abroad over to “a third power” unless the French Govt acts favorably (Sent Dept; repeated to London 494 Beirut 42) in the very near future in regard to the sending of a Consul to Dakar.

Caffery
  1. Ahmad Da’uq Bey.