283. Telegram From the Department of State to the Embassy in France1
1786. Please pass following to Pineau from Secretary:
“Dear Mr. President:
I am greatly distressed at the situation we are in regarding arms to Tunisia. As you know, we have felt that Tunisia as a now independent nation, thanks to the statesmanlike policies of your government, is entitled to enjoy what the United Nations Charter calls the inherent right of self-defense. The Tunisian government has been trying to exercise that right by getting at least a limited quantity of small arms for purely defensive purposes. Such arms are readily available from non-Western sources. But President Bourguiba has preferred to initiate Tunisia’s defense problem with a Western state. You will recall that early in September we advised your government of the urgent request made to us by President Bourguiba and in response we told him that we felt his request was a legitimate one and that we would see to it that he obtained a limited supply of small arms for defensive purposes in the near future. We hoped, however, that he would be able to get them from your own government so as to make it unnecessary to buy them elsewhere.
About the middle of October we told President Bourguiba that if he could not get arms elsewhere in Western Europe we would get him some by the first of November. Your government was informed accordingly.
Your Ambassador then called on me on October 18 and urged most strongly that we should not make any delivery until there was a new French Government and he said that he would personally recommend to that government as soon as it was formed that it should as its first act arrange to deliver arms to Tunisia.
While I did not give your Ambassador any assurances in this respect we did in fact communicate again with President Bourguiba and in agreement with him arrange that our shipment would not occur until November 12 and then only on the assumption that a satisfactory arrangement had not by then been arrived at between your Government and that of Tunisia.
[Page 745]Tomorrow is the 12th, the date when our promise to President Bourguiba becomes due and your government will have been in office then for a week which is a time within which, I had inferred, you would have been enabled to deal with the problem.
I know of the many problems that confront you and I do not raise this in any spirit of criticism but merely to indicate that we have in good faith done what seemed to be responsive to the plea for time which was made to us.
In view of your Government’s desire for still further time we did take this up again with President Bourguiba yesterday, but unfortunately for reasons which are surely persuasive, and which seemed to President Bourguiba to be compelling, he feels he cannot release us from the November 12 date. Therefore, we have no honorable alternative but to proceed. You will appreciate that what is involved tomorrow is a token delivery of 500 rifles with ammunition. Obviously, this is not enough to solve the problem but it will, we hope, assure time to permit of mutually acceptable arrangements between your Government and that of Tunisia covering this problem comprehensively. Could you not perhaps yourselves make at least a token delivery coincidentally with our own and thus preserve the front of unity which we would greatly prefer? The UK might share in this procedure.
If your Government is not itself in a position to do anything so promptly may you not at least authorize us to say that what we are doing tomorrow is being done with your concurrence?
I emphasize that the action tomorrow is minimal in character and that we will have in hand explicit Tunisian assurances that these arms will only be used for defensive purposes and will not be transferred to anyone else. I believe you yourself have indicated to the Deputies that you are not aware of Tunisia being a supplier of arms to the Algerians. I think we both know the sources of such arms.
Please be assured that we have throughout tried to handle this matter in a way which would on the one hand reconcile Tunisia’s genuine independence with the preoccupations of your own Government. We act as we do because after having sought and achieved delays we now have no honorable alternative but to act. We hope that we can act in accord with you.”
Secretary spoke urgently to Ambassador Alphand along foregoing lines this evening. Alphand said he would endeavor ascertain GOF reactions urgently.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 772.56/11–1157. Secret; Niact. Drafted and approved by Dulles. Repeated to Tunis and London.↩