740.0011 European War 1939/10189: Telegram
The Chargé at Tangier (Childs) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 22—10:50 p.m.]
108. I dined with Monick after lunching with Noguès, the former having been acquainted by the latter with our conversation. Monick said Noguès had asked him whether he should speak to me about the possible arrival of additional German members of the Armistice Commission or wait until more definite information concerning them had been received. According to Monick he had informed Noguès he must show the most complete confidence in us and accordingly Noguès had given me all the information he had on the subject.
Monick said Weygand and the French Army in Morocco were now apprehensive of an attack on two fronts, namely from Tripoli and from the Spanish line. They were most worried he said about the latter. He suggested the Germans might create incidents on the Spanish-French frontier in Morocco and use them as an excuse for coming in and assisting Spain to establish order.
Earlier when I had discussed with Noguès the possibility of a German thrust through Spain and had asked him how it was likely to be effected, he remarked that the distance between the Spanish peninsula and Morocco was much shorter than that between Sicily and Tripoli and if the Germans had been able to move important shipments of men and material there under cover of darkness they could probably do it even more readily here. He thought the factor that had so far stood in the way of a German drive on the Straits of Gibraltar was the fact of provoking a political upheaval in Spain.
[Page 302]Monick suggested that we give earnest consideration to a program of economic aid to the Spanish zone with a view to realizing the same objectives in that area that we had in mind in French North Africa. I suggested that economic and political conditions in the Spanish zone were so different from those of French North Africa in relation to the protecting power as to make it difficult to do anything with the Spanish zone. I added that there was no Weygand in the Spanish zone. He agreed but stressed the great importance of Morocco to the defense of the Americas and hoped that something might be done. He thought Beigbeder23 in particular might be receptive.
I asked Monick in what French North Africa was chiefly lacking from a defense point of view. He said the man-power situation had much improved in the last 3 months and further improvement was expected in the next 3 months. I understand that Moorish police are being secretly organized and armed ostensibly as police but actually to serve with the armed forces. Monick said the Germans could not object to the organization of adequate police protection in Morocco. He added that in material the greatest need was in tanks, airplanes and bombs. He urged that among our observers sent to Algeria, there should be included military and economic experts who could discuss with Weygand his particular needs in North Africa.
Repeated to Vichy and Madrid.
- Juan Beigbeder, former Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩