740.0011 European War 1939/8452: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State

204. Department’s 106, February 1, 4 p.m. A member of the Marshal’s entourage said last night that he felt it particularly important at this juncture that nothing be said over the American radio to give any impression that General Weygand is preparing for any eventual possible resistance to any German or Italian aggression in North Africa. He said that, while the BBC had recently maintained a discreet silence, the same had not been true of our radio. The principal reason for his anxiety at this particular juncture is the well-known rivalry and personal antipathy between Admiral Darlan and General Weygand. With the former rapidly concentrating more and more power in his hands—as the Department knows Admiral Darlan42 took over the important Ministry of the Interior yesterday, thus acquiring control of the police and prefects throughout the country—a suggestion on the part of the Germans that it might be well to move General Weygand from North Africa might be accepted with enthusiasm by Darlan. The Embassy’s informant felt that with Darlan’s present power and influence he might be able to persuade the Marshal to agree to such a move which he felt, given Weygand’s prestige, would mean the end of any possible North African resistance when the time comes.

Major Petit Jean Roger, Weygand’s aviation aide, who was in Vichy yesterday, likewise emphasized how unfortunate any reference [Page 224] to Weygand over the British or American radio is at this time. (The Department will recall the emphasis on this point in Murphy’s telegrams and his written report of January 1743 on his recent trip to North Africa.)

Leahy
  1. Adm. Jean François Darlan, Vice President of the French Council of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Navy, and Interior.
  2. Not printed; for Mr. Murphy’s telegraphic summary of report, see telegram No. 14, January 14, 7 p.m., from the Minister in Portugal, p. 206.