740.0011 European War 1939/10849: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 13—6:10 a.m.]
540. The Embassy received a visit this afternoon from an official of the Foreign Office whose sympathies with the cause of the democracies are exceedingly strong. He said with some agitation that he considered the coming hours extremely critical for the future policy of France. The Marshal, he said, had just lunched with a friend of his and was in a state of great depression, frankly stating that in the next 2 or 3 days he would have decisions of the greatest importance to make. The propaganda, our informant said, of Darlan and his associates that the United States is not serious in its desire to help the British and that when the British are defeated as they will be in the next few weeks or months we will promptly make our peace with the Nazis, has had a telling effect.
We saw Rochat later and told him of our anxiety with respect to the gravity of impending decisions and asked, knowing his sympathies, if he had any suggestion to make off the record. He said that frankly he had not the slightest knowledge of what the German demands might be, although he agreed that they might be far reaching, nor does he even know where Darlan is or his plans.
The Marshal was unable to see me today but has promised an appointment for tomorrow. I will then deliver orally the President’s message (Department’s telegram 395, May 8, 9 p.m.) and I propose to tell him that any serious concessions to Germany beyond the Armistice Agreement will permanently alienate the friendship and cooperation of the people of the United States.