890D.01/647: Telegram
The Consul at Beirut (Gwynn) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 15—1:51 p.m.]
344. General de Gaulle left this morning at dawn by plane with intention of making no landing until he reached Fort Lamy this evening. He will proceed to Brazzaville where he will spend a week in what Catroux’s Chief of Political Cabinet Baelen described this afternoon as “administrative work”. He expects return to Cairo about 23d for discussions with Casey which will be continued in London where he expects arrive about end of month with view to settling Franco-English differences regarding this territory. I think he will return here for few days between Cairo and London but was not specifically told so.
- 2.
- Quite unexpectedly he made a broadcast last evening which will be separately reported. He made point that enemy would be unsuccessful in his attempt to drive wedge between Allies! Baelen says this does not in the slightest mean de Gaulle is capitulating to British but he had certain qualms of conscience when he learned enemy broadcasts had reported serious differences had arisen between British and French here. De Gaulle twice recently said as much to me and seemed seriously disturbed by effect these broadcasts [Page 634] might have on local populations. Baelen states de Gaulle’s fundamental position has not changed and that he still means to take a very stiff attitude in his discussions with British about Syria but said his request that military direction of Allied Forces here be transferred to French Command (my 324)74 would not be pushed at present.
- 3.
- De Gaulle and Baelen both told me Eden said Churchill was vexed that de Gaulle had informed us of his differences with British and both said they could see no reason for his taking this attitude and they found it quite natural for British to discuss such questions as occupation of Madagascar with the Americans. French feel this is but one more piece of evidence that British wish to consider them and their affairs as private game preserve and it is this attitude that so irks them.
- 4.
- Department’s 15374 and my 34275 crossed. I did not, of course, reveal I was aware of London’s 510274 but by discussing with Baelen (paragraph 2 of my [your] 153) made quite certain nothing here is yet known of London’s tentative change of mind on administration of Madagascar. It is, I think, certain that if de Gaulle gets impression [British] are now going to attempt to bargain Madagascar against Syria or vice versa, concerning both of which territories he claims to have agreements with them which he considers satisfactory if locally observed, he will break out with accusations of bad faith more virulent than ever.
- 5.
- I think it is certain that French National Committee’s telegram to de Gaulle had not reached here by 2 p.m. today. De Gaulle told me his telegram of September 1, (my 324) was not delivered to his representative in Cairo until the 6th and said that British systematically delayed transmission of his messages when they suspected they might gain by doing so. I was inclined to discount this but still think very curious the fact that my telegram September 7, 10 a.m. to Ankara, repeated as my 331 to Department74 was not received in Ankara until evening of 10th, that is just when Willkie’s consultations here were coming to an end. Results in this case were, I think, no more serious than some slight embarrassment but could easily have given rise to a very difficult situation for everybody with certain exceptions.
- 6.
- Catroux returned from Egypt last night where he is reported to have seen General Alexander.
- 7.
- Repeated to Cairo.