Editorial Note
A memorandum on the North African question by Knight (WE) to Perkins (EUR), dated October 20, stated that the question of North Africa was the most important one in French public opinion at the time, and any concessions by the French Government would be greeted by a great outcry. The Department of State had been informed by Ambassador Bonnet on October 15 that the policy was being considered at the Cabinet level, where the decision had been made that France would remain in control in North Africa regardless of United Nations action. The Cabinet felt that the Ambassador and, to a lesser extent, the Foreign Minister, had made a basic miscalculation of United States policy. The basic French position of nonparticipation in any debate on the subject was so firm that any United States attempt to influence attitudes in the United Nations would have to be directed against the Arab-Asian bloc.
According to the memorandum, French public opinion had moved away from a moderate policy in North Africa partly because of inscription of the Moroccan and Tunisian cases on the United Nations agenda and United States support for that position. It emphasized the belief that the uncompromising French attitude should be thoroughly understood and taken into account in everyday decisions. If not, the possibility existed that the United States might be led to a position of stronger support for the French than would otherwise be necessary. The memorandum concluded by stating that: “Indeed should we be faced in a few weeks with a French position requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, it is probable that under the pressure of strategic considerations as well as of major European policies which require French support and participation, we would come out on the French side. Instead it would seem preferable to take a more sympathetic position in our day-to-day attitudes which should obviate a showdown and permit us to exercise greater moderating influence on the French both in the UN and in North Africa itself.”
UNP disagreed with EUR’s conclusions. A memorandum by Elting (UNP) to Wainhouse (UNP), dated October 24, suggested that the French were following a policy of bluff, “since overriding French interests require them to go along with us on the basic issues whether or not they like our position on North Africa.” In particular Elting disputed the final paragraph of the Knight memorandum and suggested that the Pinay government’s policy was not as unyielding as [Page 823] Knight claimed. These memoranda are in the S/S–Jessup files, lot 53 D 65, “Tunisia.”