851.5018/81

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State

The French Ambassador called at his request. He spoke very earnestly and strongly about the urgency of obtaining food for both occupied and unoccupied France through the aid of this country. I reminded him that the United States retains to the fullest extent its ancient friendship for France and her people and is watching every opportunity to be helpful to that country in its misfortune, and that this it shall continue to do. I said that it must be made clear, however, that we feel deeply that the future welfare of France like that of our own country makes it all important for Great Britain to successfully resist the Hitler onslaught, and that that objective will be given preference to all of the aid and cooperation that we undertake to render our friends both in England and in France. I added that it was greatly surprising to me that some of our American friends have been urging Great Britain continuously to lift her blockade so that foodstuffs of relief organizations, such, for example, as the one ex-President Hoover is connected with, can go into German-occupied countries; that at the same time there has not been heard one whisper by these food relief leaders about facing Germany and reminding her that she has robbed the people of their foodstuffs and caused them to go out into the world seeking to replace that which has been stolen from them; that, under the law of nations and of humanity, any government which has by force taken foodstuffs from a conquered people should furnish such people enough foodstuffs for their sustenance; [Page 103] that Germany is ignoring this duty and responsibility entirely. A stern demand, therefore, should be made of her not only by the peoples who have been made destitute, but by peaceful countries, to meet her responsibility and to disgorge enough of her stolen foodstuffs to the countries from which they were taken thus enabling the peoples of those countries to live; that, in brief, a real issue should be made and a showdown demanded. The Ambassador did not attempt to dispute what I said, but nodded his head as though he did not feel justified in taking issue with it.

C[oedell] H[ull]