740.0011 European War 1939/11148: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:52 p.m.]
577. We asked Rochat this morning whether there was anything he could tell us concerning recent developments in the field of Franco-German [Page 175] collaboration, particularly as to what the Germans are expecting in return for the concessions they are making. He said that the promised return of some 100,000 prisoners which was announced yesterday, the authorization for Government officials and heads of industrial and agricultural enterprises to enter the forbidden zones of the north and east and relaxation of the restrictions on interchange of merchandise, monetary remittances, etc., between the occupied and unoccupied zones are concessions of real interest to France and the French people. (He does not believe there will be any removal of the demarcation line northward with consequent evacuation of Paris. Military necessity, he said, will require the Germans to hold the nerve center of Paris.) France is in duty bound, he said, to do what she can to improve the country’s lot: the armistice is a document which was drawn up with the thought that the war would be over in a few weeks; it has remained in force now for nearly a year and conditions, with the strangling restrictions of the demarcation line, industrial stagnation, etc., are intolerable for the material welfare of the people of France. Therefore no Government can conscientiously refrain from doing what it can, whether under the name of collaboration or otherwise, to obtain some improvement. As for what Germany is asking in return, he said that to his knowledge no demands have been made. While he agrees that obviously Germany is not making these concessions for nothing, he feels that the Germans have a real interest in obtaining a more or less wholehearted “collaboration” from France. Germany, he said, is now the military master of the Continent of Europe; the war may last a long time, there must certainly be a feeling on the part of Germany’s leaders that the time has come to start to organize the new order on the Continent. It is not sufficient, he thinks, from the German point of view merely to occupy countries militarily and force a certain minimum of production by slave methods. The logical place to obtain real industrial cooperation in organizing their new Europe is France and from the German point of view he feels that this in itself can explain the German desire for collaboration.
We pointed out that while much of this might be true past experience would seem amply to justify fears that under the name of “sincere collaboration” the Germans will expect African or Mediterranean bases, right of troop passage and other “facilities” when the time comes that they need them.
He said that this might well be possible for the future but that he could assure us that no demands of any sort with respect to North Africa or troop passage through unoccupied France have yet been made. Admiral Darlan, he said, has gone up to Paris again probably for 2 or 3 days to continue negotiations.
[Page 176]We inquired the meaning of the news item in this morning’s papers given out by the official French information office concerning the problem of dissident French colonies. After mentioning the recent broadcasts of General Catroux, the bombardments of Syrian airdromes by the R. A. F.77a and British efforts to “foment dissidence in the greater part of the French Empire” the item states: “France is proud of having resisted vigorously where she could, but the hour has no doubt come for her to recover especially in Africa the whole of her Empire and if there is a point to emphasize it is the problem of dissidence which is to be settled solely between France and the rebels. The rebels are for the most part good Frenchmen who have been misled. At the moment when she is making an [effort?] to recover them and bring them back to France, France cannot permit a foreign power to intervene to prevent her. To speak only of the territories of Tchad or Gabon and French Equatorial Africa and the Cameroons in general, these are the provinces of the French Empire over which French sovereignty must be entirely reestablished.” (We understand also that directives have been given the press to endeavor to prepare public opinion for a move against De Gaulle territory. The Germans are, we are told, not unaware of the effect of such a program on Franco-American relations.)
Rochat said that frankly he did not know the meaning of this statement nor even who had issued it. He said however that the problem of the De Gaulle dissident movement is one on which the Government is extremely sensitive.
He said he has no recent news from Syria nor any indications of German intentions in that respect.
He believes, however, that unless the Germans obtain right of troop passage through Turkey, which he said is not at all unlikely, it will be difficult for Germans to reach Iraq in force with material; thanks to British opposition, to land German troops and matériel by sea in Syria will not be an easy task. He added that the British seem to be very vigilant now in preventing German reinforcements arriving from Sicily to Libya and French information indicates that the German forces in the latter area are running short of supplies.
In conclusion he said that while he wanted to do so in the most informal way, he had instructed to “protest” against the reception of Eve Curie78 at the White House and recent articles in the American press referring to “Marshal Pétain’s age and fatigue”. (He indicated that a telegram in this sense is being sent to Henry-Haye who had cabled the foregoing reports in a rather strong telegram to Vichy.)