772.00/9–2551
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of African Affairs (Bourgerie)
Subject: French Protest regarding Bourghiba
| Participants: | Mr. Jean Daridan, Minister Counselor of the French Embassy. |
| Mr. Gabriel Van Laethem, Second Secretary of the French Embassy. | |
| Mr. McGhee, NEA. | |
| Mr. Bourgerie, AF. |
Mr. McGhee opened the conversation by stating that he had heard the French Government was quite exercised over rumors to the effect that he was going to receive Mr. Bourghiba on his return to Washington from San Francisco.
Mr. Daridan stated that the Embassy had received instructions from the Foreign Office in Paris to call on Mr. McGhee and ascertain whether there was any truth to the rumors that he was going to see Mr. Bourghiba and to urge him not to see him on his return to Washington. He pointed out that it was not so much what was said by [Page 1415] Mr. Bourghiba or what was said by Department officials that mattered but the mere fact that officials of the United States Government did grant him a hearing provided the Nationalists with a basis for anti-French propaganda since they would imply that their claims were receiving U.S. support. Mr. Daridan also went on to point out that he understood that Mr. Bourghiba had delivered a speech at San Francisco before the American Federation of Labor Convention which was not only abusive toward the United States but had also stirred up deep feeling in France and Tunisia.1
Mr. McGhee said that before commenting specifically on the points raised by Mr. Daridan he would like to make certain observations regarding Mr. Bourghiba’s reception by officials of the Department of State. He then pointed out to Mr. Daridan that Mr. Bourghiba had travelled to the United States on a passport issued by French authorities; that when it became known that he planned to visit the United States no objection to giving him a visitor’s visa was raised by the French; and that about six hours before Mr. Bourghiba was received in the Department the French Embassy was notified and no objections were raised. Mr. Daridan said that he was aware of these facts but nevertheless his Government was extremely concerned over this incident and hoped that Mr. Bourghiba would not be given a further reception by Departmental officers.
Mr. McGhee responded by stating that he hoped Mr. Daridan was not asking him not to receive Mr. Bourghiba, but he added “You may inform Mr. Schuman that I have no intention of seeing Mr. Bourghiba.”
Mr. Daridan thanked Mr. McGhee and said he would convey this information to his Government.
Mr. Daridan and Mr. Van Laethem then described at some length the difficulties they have in dealing with the Nationalists in North Africa. Mr. McGhee suggested that possibly greater effort should be made to find a common ground for understanding as between the interests of the French and the Nationalists in North Africa. He referred to the fact that only recently he had had the pleasure of giving a luncheon for Mr. Kwami Nkrumah, the Leader of Government Business of the Gold Coast.2 Mr. McGhee said that British authorities had expressed their pleasure over this gesture of friendship toward Mr. Nkrumah. He then went on to point out that only a few months ago Mr. Nkrumah, a rabid Nationalist in the Gold Coast, had been in jail there for seditious activities and after his election by the people of the Gold Coast, the British had released him from jail and had permitted him to take office. Relations between the British and Mr. Nkrumah [Page 1416] had improved markedly as a result of this gesture. Mr. Daridan hastened to add that of course, the British approached their colonial problems from a somewhat different view from the French.
Mr. Daridan observed that public opinion in France was quite worked up over the activities of the Nationalists and that we should try to understand the difficulties that the French Government was facing on this score. He added that there were many people in France who felt that the French should not have granted us bases in Morocco without some political consideration being granted on the part of the United States.
In closing Mr. McGhee suggested that if the French Government was so worried over the consequences of visits to the United States of prominent North African political figures, it should take the initiative to prevent them from coming to the United States by denying them passports rather than placing the onus on this Government to deny them visas or placing this Government in a position of acting unfriendly to important visitors by refusing to receive them once they are here. Mr. Daridan did not comment on this suggestion.