Roosevelt Papers
The Secretary of State
to the President
[Washington,] August 11,
1943.
Memorandum for the President
Attached is a draft of statement, about which I spoke to you over the
telephone this morning, for you to give out in connection with the
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announcement as to
relations with the French Committee of National Liberation.
If you reach agreement in your talks with the Prime Minister with
regard to the relations with the French Committee, I do hope you
will have publicity withheld long enough for us to inform the Soviet
Government before announcement in order to fill out our commitments
to that Government.
[Attachment]
Draft Statement
Statement by the President on the Occasion
of Announcing Establishment1
of Relations Between the Governments of
Great Britain and the United States With the French
Committee of National Liberation
The Governments of Great Britain and the United States have today
made an announcement setting forth their relations with the
French Committee of National Liberation subject to certain
understandings. It is my firm hope that this Committee will
demonstrate a single-minded purpose to represent and further the
broad interests of the French people.2 Our arrangements for dealing with the
Committee are made with the full knowledge that over 90 percent
of the French people are still under the domination of the enemy
and are unable freely to express themselves.
From the outset this Government has given military equipment and
assistance to the French forces wherever they might be engaged
in resistance to the Axis, This assistance has been intensified
since the landing of our forces in North Africa. In recent weeks
arrangements have been concluded which will insure that French
forces have adequate modern military equipment effectively to
participate in the defeat of the Axis and the liberation of
France.
This limited relationship with the French Committee of National
Liberation for all other matters is based on both the hope and
the assumption that the Committee will achieve unity in support
of the cause of the French people and the United Nations and
will keep out of its activities any factional or personal
political considerations.
In an earnest effort to go to the utmost practicable extent in
promoting the entire French and United Nations cause, I am
agreeing to
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conditional acceptance of the Committee, as already stated, for
trial in any efforts to further unify itself and to free itself
completely from any still existing factional and personal
political objections [objectives].
