611.8131/74
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. J. Rives Childs of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs
Mr. Reed,73 whom I have known for some years in the Near East, called and stated that he had just arrived by Clipper from Lisbon, to which he had flown from Tangier, Morocco, on a confidential mission on behalf of the French Protectorate authorities and in the interests of his company.
Mr. Reed stated that he had been asked by M. Monick, Secretary General of the French Residency at Rabat, French Morocco, to proceed to the United States to investigate the possibility of obtaining permission for small quantities of petroleum products to be transported from Aruba in the Dutch West Indies to French Morocco, in return for the export to the United States for American and British consumers of certain minerals such as manganese, cobalt and so forth. Mr. Reed stated that the French Protectorate authorities would be unable, under the terms of the armistice with Germany, to agree to obtain navicerts for any shipments to Morocco but that General Noguès, French Resident General, had given assurances that none of the petroleum products introduced into French Morocco under the arrangement envisaged would be transshipped from that country.
Mr. Reed observed that in his opinion the problem had a political importance transcending the relatively small amount of trade which might be involved. He expressed the view that such an exchange of goods would have the highly desirable end of tending to withdraw French Morocco from its economic tie with metropolitan France and, indirectly, the Axis.
I asked Mr. Reed if the views he had expressed represented in his opinion the views of General Noguès and M. Monick. He answered that, of course, the French Protectorate authorities could not be expected to express themselves so freely but that he had gained the impression that they were sincerely desirous of preventing French Morocco from falling into the hands of the Axis and that, in his opinion, he had been requested by M. Monick to come to the United States with that consideration in mind. In that connection, he mentioned [Page 603] that M. Monick had stated that French Morocco was in a position to sever the link which bound the French Moroccan franc with the French franc and to establish an independent currency.
Mr. Reed added that the French officials in Morocco were in an exceedingly delicate situation. They were obliged to maintain their solidarity with the Vichy Government and to do nothing openly which would invite the intervention in French Moroccan affairs of the Germans.
I asked Mr. Reed what significance he attached to the appointment of General Weygand as Delegate General of the (Vichy) Government in French Africa. Mr. Reed stated he thought it was a reasonable hypothesis that General Weygand had been sent to Africa as a form of insurance by those at Vichy not unalterably opposed to the British with a view to using him as a rallying point for protecting French Africa against German absorption in the event the German demands against France proved too onerous to accept.
I observed that, as Mr. Reed had no doubt read in the newspapers during the past few days, there appeared to be considerable discussion of the imposition by Germany of very onerous conditions on France and that it had even been reported that one of the German demands included the control of French Mediterranean ports by Germany. Mr. Reed agreed that in case such demands were successfully imposed there could, of course, be no question of the British lifting the blockade to permit trade with Morocco.
I suggested to Mr. Reed that the question of obtaining permission for one of the tankers of his company to transport petroleum products from Aruba to Morocco through the British blockade was a matter for discussion by him with the British. Mr. Reed stated that he was already in touch with Mr. Marris, First Secretary of the British Embassy, on the subject with whom he had been put in touch by an intermediary to whom he had been referred by M. Monick.
Mr. Reed stated that, unfortunately, all of his papers, including a statement, given him by M. Monick, of the minerals which might be available in French Morocco for export had been taken from him by the British Censor at Bermuda. The British Embassy had telegraphed the Censor to forward the papers but, as there might be some delay, Mr. Reed asked if the Department would be willing to send a telegram at his expense to our Consulate in Casablanca in order that a duplicate might be obtained from the office of the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company there and telegraphed by the Consulate to the Department for communication to him. I stated that we would be glad to do so.
I informed Mr. Reed that there were others in the Department who would be interested in talking with him, including EA,74 who had [Page 604] under examination the question of Moroccan trade and he was subsequently introduced to Mr. Livesey.75
Mr. Reed stated that he had an engagement with Mr. Marris at the British Embassy tomorrow and that thereafter he would call again at the Department to report the results of his mission. I suggested that he inform Mr. Marris that it might be worthwhile for him to see also Mr. Helm.
Mr. Reed stated in conclusion that he thought that the risk the British might run of permitting small quantities of petroleum products to pass into French Morocco for the benefit of Moroccan economy in exchange for Moroccan minerals which might otherwise pass into the hands of Germany would be a small one and was on balance well worth undertaking.