890D.01/661: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received 11:30 p.m.]
5897. We have been told by the Foreign Office that after the discussions with Dejean, mentioned in Embassy’s 5615 of October 8, 10 p.m., had progressed to the point where the general terms of an understanding had been drafted and agreed upon and the English and French drafts were merely being checked, General Catroux, on learning of the nature of the draft understanding, protested strongly to General de Gaulle. The protest, we have been given to understand, was directed not only against the terms of the proposed understanding [Page 637] but also of the discussions. On this latter score the argument was advanced that while something was being sacrificed so far as Syria was concerned nothing was being gained in respect to Madagascar. (It had, of course, as pointed out in the Embassy’s telegram 5615 of October 8 been made clear to the French National Committee here that discussions on Madagascar would not be initiated until the Syrian situation had been cleared up.)
Following Catroux’s protest to de Gaulle, Dejean resigned as Commissioner for Foreign Affairs. He has been succeeded by Pleven. Pleven the Foreign Office states now has the draft understanding in his possession and the Foreign Office is waiting for him to advise it of the final decision of the French National Committee regarding it.
We were told that a copy of the draft understanding has been furnished the Department through the British Embassy at Washington and that we here, when an understanding has been definitely reached, would be furnished with a copy of its text.