851.48/165

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

The French Ambassador6 called to see me this morning at his request.

The Ambassador reverted, as he does in every conversation I have with him, to the urgent need of the Vichy Government that food supplies be sent from the United States and from South America to unoccupied France. He stated that the misery and distress in unoccupied France was increasing hourly and that in a very short time the population in unoccupied France would be bereft of all cereal supplies, as well as of all meat, et cetera. I said to the Ambassador that since we had discussed this question so often and in view of the announcement made by the American Red Cross only forty-eight hours ago, he could hardly be in any doubt that the American people and their Government desired to do everything within their power to relieve the distress of the civilian population in unoccupied France, providing relief measures did not interfere with nor jeopardize the successful maintenance of the British blockade of Germany and the countries under her occupation. I said to the Ambassador that the problem was rendered infinitely more difficult from the point of view of the American Government by reason of the reports which had been circulating the past few days and which had now appeared in the press stating that because of the serious food shortage in Paris, food supplies were being sent from unoccupied France to Paris. In other words, I said, the [Page 93] French Government was asking us to send food supplies to unoccupied France at the very time that unoccupied France was apparently depriving itself of food supplies in order to send them to occupied France and thereby relieve the obligation of the German Government to furnish food supplies to the civilian population under their military control. I asked the Ambassador what possible justification there could be, in view of our publicly announced and well known policy to render every assistance to Great Britain, for our sending food supplies to unoccupied France which would either merely replace food supplies sent to German-controlled France or which might even be used for transshipment to German-occupied France.

The Ambassador launched into a violent tirade against the lies which were being printed in the press on this subject and asserted that it seemed to him a very sinister coincidence that stories of this character were only published immediately after the announcement that milk and medicines were being sent by the American Red Cross for distribution to the children in unoccupied France. He said he had already telegraphed to his Government for full information on this point and he said he felt already that he could assure me positively that the reports published were completely unfounded. I stated that I would await with interest the official word which he would receive on this matter.

S[umner] W[elles]
  1. Gaston Henry-Haye.