740.0011 European War 1939/5161: Telegram
The Consul General at Beirut ( Palmer ) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 18—7:32 a.m.]
80. Consulate General has just received Department’s telegram No. 51 dated August 15 [16], 5 p.m., but apparently despatched from Washington at 8:41 last evening.
Except for reservists from eastern Mediterranean countries French troops here have neither been repatriated nor demobilized; nor is demobilization and repatriation of any considerable number anticipated in the absence of transportation facilities and British and Italian authorization. The steamship Athos whose expected departure with naval reservists and more extreme malcontents among army reservists was mentioned in my telegram No. 79 of this morning is now in port and scheduled to leave shortly with these groups but no other ships are known to be on the way here.
Since my telegram No. 45 of July 2 reporting the number of French troops that had passed into Palestine as relatively unimportant, only a few small groups have gone over and the total is insignificant.
I hope to be able to telegraph within the next few days the figures and other information requested in the Department’s telegram and will continue to keep Department informed of significant developments by telegraph as heretofore.