862.24/692
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
If the United States Government can obtain complete satisfaction on the question of supplies to Libya, His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom have no objection to the despatch of limited quantities of navicerted supplies to French North Africa, provided that United States observers can penetrate the country freely and provided that the United Nations get compensating advantage in obtaining control of strategic materials which are at present going to Germany. In this connexion His Majesty’s Government wish to emphasize that they attach the greatest importance to establishing in the case of North Africa the principle on which, in agreement with the United States Government, they are working in Spain and Portugal, that deliveries from the United Nations will depend on counter deliveries of strategic materials to the United States or the United Kingdom.
His Majesty’s Government desire to urge strongly that the United States Government should insist on the complete cessation of oil supplies to Libya before they agree to the sailing of two ships from New York, and that they should not recognise the alleged Vichy commitment to deliver a further 1580 tons to the Axis powers. In this connexion the United States Government will no doubt have noted the contradiction between the assurances contained in the principal French note to Admiral Leahy of March 14th that no further supplies would be transported or delivered to the Axis in Libya other than those already in transit and the offer in the supplementary note of the same date to endeavour to get the Axis powers to agree to the cancellation of the delivery of the balance (about 1580 tons) of the original 3600 tons which had been promised, provided that it could be stated that American supplies of petroleum products to North Africa were actually being resumed.
His Majesty’s Government hold strongly that unless and until the Vichy Government agree to arrangements for the export of strategic raw materials from French North Africa to the United States of America and the United Kingdom, there should be no shipments of oil products to North Africa and permission should not be granted to use any additional vessels in the North African service.