740.0011 European War 1939/10162
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The British Ambassador called at his request. I discussed with him the French situation and again made clear to him that this Government has been exerting itself to the utmost since the French Government left Paris to prevent the French from giving naval and other aid outright to Hitler through the Laval and Darlan influences in the French Government. The Ambassador spoke of the increasing pressure the British are bringing to bear on the French Government on account of increasing instances of abuses of their neutrality by the Darlan group by aiding Germany in one way or another. I replied that I could fully understand and appreciate this viewpoint. I said that there is only one thing worse than the abuses that are being carried on by the Darlan group and that would be a complete dissolution of relations with France by Great Britain and the United States with the result that the French Navy, French bases, and all-out aid would be turned over to Hitler without delay, because the Petain branch of the French Government would then promptly be overridden and submerged by the Darlan forces. I said that the policy of my Government, of course, has been and is that the easier course is to use every possible pressure on the Petain Government to stand firm, to uphold its hands in every practical manner, and thus to minimize at least to the fullest possible extent the abuses to neutrality and to the terms of the armistice that the Darlan group is engaging in as partisans of Hitler. I added that this from our viewpoint is a much more effective and helpful policy than to abandon the Petain Government entirely with the result I have already described. The Ambassador said that he felt disposed favorably towards this position and hoped that this Government would not abandon this policy, at least until he could hear further from his Government.