851.30/147
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State
The French Ambassador7 called to see me this morning at his request.
The Ambassador told me that he had received again formal assurances from his Government that under no conditions would the French fleet in any sense be made available to Germany. Admiral Darlan8 had authorized him to make this statement public and he was considering doing so. He added that in a message which he had received from Admiral Darlan reiterating these assurances, the latter had stated that when Darlan had recently seen Admiral Raeder9 in Paris, Admiral Raeder on behalf of the German Government had made no request concerning the French fleet.