881.00/5–2945
The Acting Secretary of State to the French Ambassador (Bonnet)
The Acting Secretary of State presents his compliments to His Excellency the Ambassador of the French Republic and has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Embassy’s note no. 134 dated May 29, 1945,26 giving its approval to the proposal of the Governments of the United States and the United Kingdom looking to the termination of the illegal occupation of the International Zone of Tangier by the Spanish Government, and concurring in the view that proposals with regard to the future administration of Tangier should be the subject of an agreement in principle between the three Governments.
Appreciation is expressed for the courtesy of the Embassy in bringing to the attention of this Government the views of the French Government regarding Tangier. Since this Government feels that there are certain serious defects in the 1923 Statute, to which this Government was not a party, it is not disposed favorably to the return of the regime based on that Statute.
The Government of the United States is inclined to favor the convocation as soon as practicable of a conference of the interested Powers for the purpose of establishing a new international regime. Pending the establishment of such a regime the Government of the United States is of the opinion that a temporary military government should be set up following the withdrawal of the Spanish forces, which should take into account the regime in force prior to the Spanish occupation but modified by the situation resulting from the war. In the opinion of this Government only a small number of troops would be required to effect the military occupation and these troops should be American, British and French, with perhaps, if considered desirable in view of Spain’s long-standing interest in Tangier, a small number of Spanish troops.
This Government believes that it would be desirable to hold conversations in London with regard to the interim government of Tangier and the means by which that government may be established.