Office of the Historian

890D.01/6–2545: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister to Syria and Lebanon (Wadsworth)

Washington, June 25, 1945—6 p.m.

184. Counselor of Syrian Legation46 has expressed to Dept47 his Govt’s earnest desire that Troupes Spéciales be turned over to Syrian authority at earliest possible time. He pointed out that clashes between French and Syrians were unavoidable so long as France retained command of these troops and attempted to prevent desertions or apprehend deserters. He emphasized that transfer of TS would greatly facilitate restoration of normal conditions and would remove one of worst causes of irritation between Syrians and French.

Dept appreciates desirability of transfer of these native troops, but is aware of difficulty of effecting it in present circumstances. Your views after appropriate consultations would be appreciated.48

Grew
  1. Costi K. Zurayk.↩
  2. Memorandum of this conversation of June 19, by Adrian B. Colquitt of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs, not printed.↩
  3. In telegram 205, June 30, 1945, 4 p.m., the Minister to Syria and Lebanon reported that after consultations with the Syrian and Lebanese Ministers for Foreign Affairs and British military spokesmen, his personal view was “that transfer of Troupes Spéciales to Syrian and Lebanese command would go far towards relieving local tensions and creating atmosphere favorable to international consideration of Levant relationships. Basically more constructive, however, would be meeting of second Syrian desideratum namely withdrawal of French troops”. (890D.01/6–3045) For text of No. 205, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), 1945, vol. i, p. 962.↩