Office of the Historian

890D.20 Missions/9–1545: Telegram

The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister to Syria and Lebanon (Wadsworth)

Washington, September 15, 1945—1 p.m.

276. Question of sending military mission to assist Syrian Govt with organization and training of defense and security forces is still being studied.24 There are certain rather serious legal, financial, and political difficulties connected with such an enterprise.

For your info Dept is studying the question of suggesting an amendment of US code which would permit dispatch of military [Page 1204] missions in normal times outside Western Hemisphere.25 We are also inviting views of Brit and French.

Acheson
  1. In a memorandum of September 5, 1945, the Assistant Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs (Bonbright) stated: “Mr. Matthews told me yesterday that he had talked with Mr. Acheson about the proposal to send an American Military Mission to Syria. Mr. Acheson is favorably inclined toward the idea but does not want us to go off halfcocked. In this connection, he asked that we make a study of the question of what arms will be needed and where they can be obtained, also the question of who pays for the Mission. Mr. Acheson also wishes to nave formal notes addressed to the French and British Governments telling them of the request made of us, adding that the question is under consideration and asking the views of those governments.” (890D.20 Mission/9–545) H. Freeman Matthews was Director of the Office of European Affairs and Dean G. Acheson was Under Secretary of State.↩
  2. On October 11, 1945, the State–War–Navy Coordinating Committee approved SWNCC 201, a report by the SWNCC Subcommittee for the Near and Middle East. The report called for Congressional action to amend Section 540 of Title 10 of the United States Code to authorize the President of the United States to detail officers and enlisted men of the United States Army to assist foreign governments upon application from the foreign governments and when the President determined that the public interest rendered such a course advisable. The report also called for amendment in a similar manner of Section 441 (a) of Title 34 of the United States Code in connection with Naval missions.↩