890D.20 Mission/12–2145
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
Ref: 256/ /45
In reply to the State Department memorandum of the 19th September27 requesting the views of His Majesty’s Government on the subject of a proposed American military mission to assist in the organisation and training of the Syrian defense and security forces, the Foreign Office state that, as is known to the State Department, they have always favoured the dispatch of such an American mission. This task could not be undertaken by the United Kingdom for obvious reasons. It must be recognised, however, that French reactions to the idea of an American mission have hitherto been unfavourable. The Foreign Office consider that every effort must be made to induce the French to realise, firstly, that the training of Syrian forces is an essential and [Page 1205] urgent task, since it will fall to the Syrians alone to maintain order on the departure of French and British troops, and secondly, that there is not the slightest hope of persuading the Syrians to agree to a French training mission.
- 2.
- If it turns out that the French would greatly prefer a training mission from Holland or Denmark or some other small European country, it may be necessary to reconsider the position in spite of the fact that such countries would probably have no representatives in the Levant nor anyone with experience of local conditions.
- 3.
- In a separate note,28 the State Department is being informed, in strict confidence, that advantage is being taken of the presence in London of Monsieur Bidault29 and His Majesty’s Minister at Beirut to ascertain whether any progress can be made with the French in the direction of withdrawal of French and British troops from the Levant at the earliest possible moment. For these reasons the Foreign Office thinks that the State Department might wish to hold the matter of the training mission in abeyance until Mr. Bevin’s30 forthcoming talks with the French have clarified the position.