890D.01/7–145: Telegram
The Minister to Syria and Lebanon (Wadsworth) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:41 p.m.]
206. Deptel 187, June 26.49 Lebanese FonMin Pharaon informed me yesterday that Ostrorog’s “conciliatory” proposal as communicated [Page 1155] to him “officieusement” on June 28 was that Troupes Spéciales be transferred and that French troops withdraw from Levant simultaneously with Brit troops, thus ending tension created by recent incidents and permitting France and Levant States “in atmosphere of restored good will to work out their common problems”. Nature of ensuing discussion suggests that by this démarche French hope to by-pass Brit proposal for London conference with Amer participation.
Pharaon’s answer made clear that while transfer of Troupes Spéciales and withdrawal of French troops were among main Syrian and Leb desiderata and while minor outstanding questions (such as French-retained “common interests”, see penultimate pgh my 173, June 150) might be made subject of bilateral discussion, Syrian and Leb Govt’s firmly-shared conviction was that basic issue of future Franco-Levant treaty relations could be effectively settled only within framework of international discussion.
As, however, Ostrorog’s offer was not conditioned on any commitment in this latter regard, Pharaon, after consultation with Syrian FonMin Mardam, replied orally in second conversation had yesterday that informal reaction of Syrian as well as Leb Govt to this informal démarche “might well be taken as being on the whole favorable” and that consequently Ostrorog “could so inform his Govt and request authorization to put his offer formally”. Ostrorog had answered that he would arrange with Beynet to telegraph immediately to Paris in this sense.
Concluding our conversation (of which memo is being forwarded in next pouch51) Pharaon voiced some apprehension lest this French démarche be simply another maneuver designed “to isolate us” and to postpone a showdown until after Big Three had met this month.52
I will report more fully as to Syrian reaction after seeing Mardam later this week.53 … I doubt that it [the proposal] will modify basic position of Syrian leaders, e.g. as voiced by Chamber President Jabri last week in Aleppo Mosque: “We have one present aim, to force France to quit our country.”
[Page 1156]Sent Dept as 206, rptd Paris as 75 with request to rpt to London; paraphrases to Arab cap [ital]s.
- Not printed; it advised of a report from the Ambassador in France that “Ostrorog left Paris for Beirut taking with him ‘very conciliatory instructions’ with reference not only to Levant States but also to Britain”. (800.00 Summaries/6–2645)↩
- Not printed; it listed the administrative services still held by the French as “Port of Beirut, Office Economique de Guerre, Séquestre Général, Radio Levant, Tripoli Refinery and Administration of Railways.” (890D.01/6–145) Most of these services and others not so listed were reported turned over to the Lebanese Government in airgram A–182, December 29, 1945 (890E.01/12–2945).↩
- Despatch 883, July 2, 1945, not printed.↩
- At Berlin.↩
- In telegram 207, July 5, 1945, 8 p.m., the Minister to Syria and Lebanon reported that he had been informed by the Syrian Minister for Foreign Affairs that if the French wished, immediately and unconditionally, to transfer the Troupes Spéciales under their Syrian officers and with their normal equipment, such transfer would have a salutary effect on the general security situation, but that he saw nothing in the Ostrorog démarche to indicate any change in the basic French policy (890D.01/7–545).↩