890D.01/5–745: Telegram
The Minister to Syria and Lebanon (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:15 p.m.]
121. Reurtel 128, May 4, 7 p.m. I saw Syrian President and Foreign Minister in Damascus, May 5, and on return to Beirut reviewed situation with Shone yesterday evening. Meanwhile, in Beirut, Pharaon on May 5 sent note of protest91 to Ostrorog, and cruiser92 arrived May 6 and debarked some 900 officers and men. French Naval Commander informs Lockard93 cruiser is expected to depart May 8 with approximately equal number of troops.
News of cruiser’s arrival has not as yet been widely disseminated and there has been little public reaction, largely because yesterday was Greek Easter. Saturday evening several hundred Nationalist hand bills of protest were posted and only two newspaper articles have appeared today, both heavily censored.
Pharaon’s note “esteems it duty to make clear that independent and sovereign Lebanon is within its rights to ask from the Allies the respect of international usage as regards the presence and passage of Allied troops on its territory.” Even though in present instance only a relief is involved and Lebanese Government has been notified,94 it is “esteemed indispensable that in future measures of this nature be made the subject of a previous accord”.
Note concludes: “It goes without saying that Lebanon, at war with Germany and Japan, will always contribute with all its means and power to bring the war to victorious conclusion, by facilitating in every manner the task of Allies and notably the movement of their troops. Nevertheless prior agreement remains necessary in analogous circumstances.”
[Here follows an account of general discussions on the situation in Syria and Lebanon with President Kuwatly.]
President then said Syria would protest, as had Lebanon, against this latest infringement of its rights of territorial sovereignty and [Page 1070] that Jamil Bey would concert with Pharaon to evolve a joint démarche designed to provide for parallel progressive withdrawal of French and British troops and transfer of the Troupes Spéciales. Meanwhile Premier Khoury95 at San Francisco would be instructed to protest to Mr. Stettinius and to British and French Foreign Ministers and to consult with other Arab delegations.
Shone and I would have found in this line of approach more hope for Franco-Levant settlement had his latest telegrams from London and Paris not been discouraging, especially those reporting de Gaulle’s answer96 to Churchill’s personal messages (of which we assume Department will be informed by British Embassy in Washington). I was particularly struck by the following:
That for the first time British is [are] inquiring directly from the French the exact nature of the treaty arrangements France desires to conclude with Lebanon and Syria;
That de Gaulle has said frankly his chief desideratum is a military base, adding that Beynet is to return shortly to the Levant with treaty proposals and authorization to turn over to Syria one brigade of Troupes Spéciales “which is rather more than the reinforcements the French are sending”;
That de Gaulle only reluctantly agreed that Beynet be instructed to return to Beirut before the projected reinforcements should arrive or even that formal announcement of decision to reopen negotiations be made in Paris before Beynet’s departure; and
That when Duff Cooper complied with instructions to tell de Gaulle Britain would accept his proposal for simultaneous withdrawal of British and French troops, latter laughed and said [“]if the British would withdraw all their troops from the Middle East[”]. Shone added the following bit of local information in further proof of seeming intention of French to reinforce their Levant troops despite British and American protest; Ostrorog told him May 4 that if French were to transfer Troupes Spéciales it would be “essential” to reinforce their own troops.
It seemed to Shone and me, even at risk of further rebuff, continued effort should be made to prevent arrival of these now seemingly clearly projected reinforcements; if their prospective arrival becomes knowm, local situation is most likely to degenerate rapidly, with smashing of any remaining small hope of early Franco-Levant settlement through negotiation.
Repeated to Paris as 25, sent Department, paraphrases to Arab Capitals.
- Copies of this protest and that of May 7 by the Syrian Minister for Foreign Affairs were transmitted to the Department in despatch 815, May 15 from Beirut, not printed.↩
- The Montcalm.↩
- Lt. Comdr. Derwood W. Lockard, Naval Attaché in Lebanon.↩
- In telegram 118, May 4, 1945, 11 p.m., the Minister to Syria and Lebanon reported the French, at British instance, had informed the Lebanese and Syrian Governments on May 3 and 4, respectively, that a cruiser was arriving at Beirut with 800 troops as replacement for a battalion to leave approximately one week later on the same vessel (890B.01/5–445).↩
- Faris el-Khouri, Chairman of the Syrian delegation at the United Nations Conference on International Organization.↩
- See footnote 89, p. 1068.↩