881.00/8–2245: Telegram
The Chargé in Frame (Fullerton) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 23—1:40 a.m.]
5085. From Villard. We have reached in our opinion a very satisfactory agreement considering all the circumstances, with respect to the legislative assembly and the appointment of administrators.
The legislative assembly would be composed of 4 French and 4 Spanish; 3 American, British and Soviet nationals and 1 Italian, Belgian, Netherlands and Portuguese, designated by their respective Consulates; with continuance of existing provisions re nomination of native members. We were unable to obtain any support whatever for the amendments in this regard suggested by the Dept in its telegram 3675 August 4 and drew from the French delegation an outburst of feeling accompanied by a statement that the Powers were in Tangier only on French sufferance and could be asked to leave in 1948, a view which the British immediately contested.73 French agreed after considerable [Page 647] discussion to granting committee of control right to enact legislation on its own initiative by majority of two-thirds. French have also agreed as well as other delegations to appointment of a neutral administrator as well as assistant administrator and commandant police of Belgian, Netherlands, Portuguese or Swedish nationality. Administrator would be assisted by French technical counselor on native affairs and chief of police would be assisted by French counselor.
We feel we have succeeded in obtaining limit of French concessions and that arrangements are great improvement on old statutory provisions.
Sent Dept as 5085 repeated to Tangier; paraphrase by courier to London Madrid and Moscow. [Villard.]
- Presumably the reference is to article 56 of the Convention of 1923, which states that the Convention is “concluded for a period of twelve years dating from ratification…” and “… shall be renewed automatically for one or more equal periods if at least six months before its expiring none of the contracting powers has demanded its revision. In such case it will remain in force while the revision by common agreement is being effected.” The Convention was ratified on May 14, 1924.↩