890E.01/5–1845: Telegram
The Minister to Syria and Lebanon (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 19—4:12 a.m.]
137. I will report in later telegram9 more important details of today’s conversations with Leb. PriMin and Syr. MinForAff (see last paragraph my 135 May 1710).
Latter, accompanied by Leb. MinForAff, had received formal call this morning from Beynet, who left with them identic aides-mémoire of which full text is quoted in my immediately following telegram.
Jamil Bey’s comment to me was that “this document constitutes step backward from even Catroux’s 1941 declarations11 and fetters countries’ sovereignty”. He said that to Beynet he and Pharaon had simply said that matter would be laid at once before their respective Presidents and Councils of Ministers but it is their intention that, following such separate consideration, a joint meeting of Presidents and Councils be held tomorrow to determine texts of identic replies and other action to be taken (e.g. convening of parliaments in special session, early meeting of Arab League Council and protests to Allied Governments at Frisco Conference).
I have again urged your good counsel on both Governments but question seriously whether they can in fact keep situation in hand once text of French aides-mémoire becomes known. I believe demonstrations of popular protest are inevitable; and, with both Governments, I fear French agents provocateurs will be able so to manipulate such demonstrations as to precipitate clashes and afford Beynet pretext to intervene with armed forces “to maintain public order”.
Repeated to Paris as 35; paraphrases to Arab capitals.
- No. 140, May 19, 1945, 11 a.m., not printed; it reported the allegations of the Lebanese Prime Minister, before he had seen General Beynet’s aide-mémoire, that the French were planning to precipitate serious internal troubles, notably between Christians and Moslems, thus supplying a pretext for armed intervention, that they were unwilling to negotiate on the “reasonable basis” suggested by the “United States in February, and that French policy seemed clearly one of reinforcement and reoccupation. The telegram also stated: “[When] Pharaon told Beynet that Bidault had said at Frisco France would withdraw if Brit would do so also, Beynet answered, ‘That is Bidault talk; de Gaulle did not say so’” (890E.01/5–1945)↩
- Not printed.↩
- For documentation on the proclamations of June 8, September 27, and November 26, 1941, regarding the independence of Syria and Lebanon, made by Gen. Georges Catroux, Free French Delegate General and Plenipotentiary in Syria and Lebanon, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. iii, pp. 726 and 786–806, passim.↩