740.0011 European War 1939/5609: Telegram
The Consul General at Beirut ( Palmer ) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 21—8:40 a.m.]
93. With reference to telegram No. 152 of September 18 from Ankara. Statement of French Chargé d’Affaires at Ankara may be [Page 910] attributed to High Commissioner’s annoyance over British propaganda and his growing concern over persistent reports from neighboring countries that resentment of Syrians and Lebanese has been aroused by presence of delegation of Italian Armistice Commission and that French authorities here are embarrassed by delegation’s attitude and demands.
Monsieur Puaux’s general nervousness and his particular annoyance over British propaganda, both of which were mentioned in my telegram 88, September 9, have unquestionably been aggravated by the continued presence of this delegation although he was relieved to find that there are no former Italian consular officers from Syria or Lebanon in the second group which arrived a week ago and which includes a naval officer and an air force officer.
Monsieur Puaux maintains that the entire delegation is military and assures me that it is correct in its attitude and is neither interfering in non-military matters nor making unreasonable demands; but the general public, native and French alike, and many officials and French military officers think otherwise.
Among the native population both Moslems and Christians freely express resentment of Italian authority, whatever its origin or scope, and disgust that the French should, in any respect, be obliged to conform to Italian wishes. Even in high places, normally pro-French, there is unconcealed admiration for the way the British are carrying on and confidentially expressed regret that at this time of stress this area is not under British control.
Well timed and well received by Syrian and Lebanese, Moslems in general and many Christians was the Emir Abdullah’s21 recent message broadcast through Jerusalem, Cairo and London in which he expressed the hope that the French authorities here, independently of the Vichy Government and in effective cooperation with the British, would prove worthy of the confidence of the Arab world by maintaining Syria and Lebanon free from Italian interference or other subjection to armistice terms unjustly applied to this mandated area.
Among the French there is a growing indignation that they should be humiliated by the presence here of those who are so widely held in contempt by Syrians and Lebanese but who come here with an official status as victors. Significant was a meeting of all French Army officers in Beirut who were called together by General Fougère last week on the eve of the arrival of the second group of Italian delegates.
At this meeting the General appealed to these officers to remain true to France and the Pétain22 Government which he urged them to consider no longer as the Vichy Government but as the government of the French people. According to separate personal accounts on the [Page 911] part of three of these officers, at the conclusion of the General’s remarks which included a warning for those of pro-British sentiments, all but a few of those present maintained a reserved silence, to the apparent discomfiture of their commanding officer. In confidential conversation with me one of these officers who has an important command expressed the disappointment of the majority who had hoped that the meeting would prove to be the occasion for a declaration for leadership that would bring them back into the war beside the British.
Combined with the problem of leadership for the reputedly large number of officers and troops desirous of uniting with the British, is the increasingly acute one of reparation for an equal number of reservists whose sole desire is to return to their families and who are again becoming restless as the prospect of their homecoming seems more and more remote. The Consulate General has been reliably informed that the Italians are showing no disposition to facilitate arrangements for such repatriation requiring both their approval and that of the British; and with some 35,000 reservists still here out of a total of approximately 40,000 it seems likely that a large number will have to be reckoned with for some time to come and that optimistic predictions apparently current in Palestine, to the effect that the French here will join forces with the British within the next few weeks, are unwarranted.