Roosevelt Papers: Telegram
The President’s Personal Representative in North Africa (Murphy) to the Secretary of State 1
1526. Secret from Murphy.
Following recognition by the Allied Governments2 and the consequent clarification of the Committee’s position, de Gaulle has raised the issue regarding the control by the Committee over military affairs. He has sent a highly confidential memorandum to Giraud requesting that the latter agree to a more clearly defined control of the Committee over the CinC and military activities and the limitation of military authority to operations against the enemy and organization of the armed forces. The memorandum further states that the powers exercised by the CinC in accordance with French law establishing a “state of siege” should be turned over to the responsible civil administrators and that all secret services should be amalgamated under one direction and controlled by the Committee.
The memorandum in question was reported to me in the greatest secrecy and it is requested that its existence not be divulged.
Further in this connection, the appointment of a defense commissioner has been suggested as well as the possibility of having only one president of the Committee which in this case would be de Gaulle. The divergence with respect to the military authority is being further emphasized by Giraud’s insistence that he alone has the authority to speak for the army, and that the rearmament furnished by the United States of America was given to him in his personal capacity.
The question of the organization and control of resistance movements and the authority to designate civilian administrators in territories of metropolitan France as they are liberated have been brought to the fore in the Committee’s discussions. It seems clear that the extreme elements of the Gaullist faction have decided that the time has come to make a further effort to reduce Giraud’s power as the CinC as [Page 1252] well as to increase de Gaulle’s own control over even the civilian moderate elements of the Committee. It is understood that the discussions which have taken place in the last few days in the Committee meetings have led to no solution as yet.
The moderate element of Committee insist, however, that whatever solution is reached the decision will preserve collective responsibility of all members which is basis of its recognition by Allied Governments.
As discussions of this nature continue the fear is beginning to be expressed that unless Committee is able to eliminate the personal differences and devote more attention to prosecution of the war the people of France when liberated will have lost respect for Committee and it will lose possibility of speaking for them when time comes. It is likely, however, that until French Army is able to participate more actively in prosecution of the war the principal attention here will be centered on these political matters.
- Sent over the (signature of the Vice Consul at Algiers (McBride). The source text bears the following typed endorsement: “(Paraphrased copy sent to the Prime Minister by direction of the President)”. On September 7, 1943, Roosevelt dictated a memorandum to Churchill commenting that he felt that further equipment or munitions should not be sent to the French Army in North Africa if de Gaulle were to seize control from Giraud, but according to a memorandum of October 13, 1943, from Roosevelt to Marshall the memorandum to Churchill was not sent. For the texts of the two memoranda referred to, see F.D.R.: His Personal Letters, 1928–1945, edited by Elliott Roosevelt assisted by Joseph P. Lash (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1950), vol. ii, p. 1453.↩
- For the statements on this subject issued by the United States, British, and Canadian Governments at the conclusion of the First Quebec Conference, see ante, pp. 1169 ff.↩