Roosevelt Papers: Telegram
The Presidents Personal Representative (Bullitt) to the President 1
Following strictly confidential for the President from Bullitt. The British are handling the situation here better than was indicated by the reports received in Washington before my departure. I believe [Page 48] that Lyttelton, Auchinleck and the rest are doing as good a job as can be expected with the inadequate means at their disposal against a determined enemy led by a soldier of genius Rommel. Rommel has again escaped an excellent trap set for him but there are at this moment not more than 30 German tanks in condition to fight. In addition Rommel has approximately 30 Italian tanks and a number of armoured vehicles and approximately 60,000 infantry. Rommel’s forces are all on this side of Benghazi except one Italian division in Tripoli which is reported to be low in health and morale. If the British can get to Benghazi, as they expect, they hope to be able to push on to Tripoli and the Tunisian frontier, but it is 1450 miles by the only road from the British base in Cairo to the frontier of Tunisia. Twenty-seven different languages and dialects are used by the soldiers of Auchinleck’s army and a brigade of Free French from Syria is about to be added.
As you are aware, but few persons in Washington realize, the fighting in this area is being carried on by comparatively tiny fighting forces. Therefore a slight increase or diminution in the force here makes the difference between defeat and victory. In view of the vital importance of North Africa for an ultimate attack on Italy and Germany, and in view of the importance of having a British Army on the Eastern border of Tunisia rather than a German Army, and in view of the fact that the enemy is now on the run I believe that: (1) It would be folly to withdraw forces of any kind from this area now. (2) That the forces now here should be strengthened in any way that will not reduce forces which are vitally needed at other points. It is essential that the established program for deliveries here of aircraft, aircraft equipment, .30 and .50 ammunition, 250–lb bombs and 500–lb bombs and motor transport should be maintained and that there should be no diversion to other areas. It is vital that the program for delivery of Kitty Hawks, P–40’s, Boston A–20’s and Baltimore Martin bombers should be maintained. It is also important that the projects which were started by General Brett should be carried through. In view of serious German attempts to reinforce this theatre of war notably by the transfer of the entire 2nd German Air Corps from the Moscow front to Italy and flights of planes of this air corps to Libya, it is my belief that the success of the British plans to push on to the frontier of Tunisia depends on the prompt improvement of British transport and communications. The British are shockingly short of competent truck-drivers. Their system of telegraph and telephone communication has been stretched to the breaking point. As an example, when I attended with Lyttelton and Auchinleck a meeting of all the staffs yesterday for the exchange of info, no news had come for 24 hours from the fighting front. Lyttelton, Auchinleck, and Air [Page 49] Marshal Tedder have all proposed to me in writing that we should take over with our own army units under command of Gen. Maxwell certain portion of the transportation burden as well as the installation, maintenance and operation of a system of telephone and telegraph communications. I am sending in American equivalents the written requests presented to me by the Brit[ish] yesterday by a separate message through Gen. Maxwell to the War Dept. I hope that you will be able to send at least the truck drivers immediately. Cooperation between the British and Gen. Maxwell is excellent and he concurs in my opinion that the British are doing as good a job as the inadequate means and the immense terrain will permit.
Please show this message to Marshall, Stimson, and Hopkins.
- Sent via Navy channels. Bullitt had been sent to North Africa and the Middle East in November 1941 as the Personal Representative of the President with the rank of Ambassador.↩