890E.01/5–2145: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister to Syria and Lebanon (Wadsworth)
148. 1. Reurtel 144 May 21.28 Dept is grateful for the manner in which you have kept it currently informed of developments in this and other messages.
2. In view of the present delicate international situation, we hope that you will continue to endeavor to prevail upon all parties to dispute to exercise restraint and to refrain from action which would exacerbate feelings and render it still more difficult to find a common ground for agreement.
3. In returning Beynet’s call (reurtel 146 May 2229) the foregoing should be borne in mind. You may in your discretion inform him in friendly terms that we are deeply concerned at present developments in the Levant and feel that unless the peoples of these countries can obtain some definite assurance that the French are not intending to resort to the use of force in order to carry out their policies in that area, there may be far-reaching consequences.
4. The Acting Secretary, on May 19, expressed to Bidault our hope that the French would not land additional troops in the Levant States. During the conversation Mr. Grew read to the Foreign Minister a paraphrase of passages of the Department’s telegram to Paris no. 1776 of April 30.
Sent to Beirut. Repeated to Paris.
- Not printed; it reported tension was high in Syria and Lebanon; the Jeanne d’Arc had sailed “this morning carrying off 143 misc ineffective military and 90 naval personnel contrasting with debarkations of 600 French effectives”; and that the Syrian Acting Prime Minister had asked General Paget “today” for British military intervention on “ground that for French troops to intervene would be simply pouring petrol on fire”. (890E.01/5–2145)↩
- Not printed. In telegram 166, May 30, 1945, 10 p.m., the Minister to Syria and Lebanon reported he had not returned General Beynet’s call “and would prefer not to do so in present situation unless you have some specific word for me to convey to him”. (890D.01/5–3045) For “present situation” see Mr. Wads-worth’s telegram 163, May 29, 9 p.m., p. 1114.↩