740.0011 European War 1939/22487: Telegram
The Consul General at Algiers (Cole) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:34 p.m.]
418. From Murphy. Vichy’s 907, June 24, 1 p.m. I urge that we do what we can to inspire more resistance by the French Government to the German demands for the extension to Casablanca of the privileges which they now exercise regarding port control in Algiers. It is noted that according to Arnal the French Government would be obliged to accede to the German demand as it was felt with American control officers in Morocco exercising such prerogatives it would be difficult to refuse them to the Germans. I doubt that Arnal understands the exact situation. In agreement with General Weygand75 months ago we for example did not insist on the production of copies of all manifests of ships leaving Casablanca because Weygand felt that if we did the Germans and the Italians would immediately demand the same privilege. He also agreed informally to refrain from unnecessary port visits to avoid attracting attention to themselves making discreet arrangements to obtain data we required. The Germans therefore have no proper [Page 326] ground for their request is [and?] to say that they should be permitted these prerogatives because we exercise them is misleading.
Repeated to Vichy and London. Copies to North African offices. [Murphy.]
- Gen. Maxime Weygand, former Delegate General of the French Government in North Africa; for correspondence on the Murphy-Weygand Agreement, see Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. ii, pp. 206 ff.↩