740.0011 Pacific War/2329
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State
The French Ambassador called to see me at his request.
The Ambassador said that his task would be greatly lightened if some official and public statement could be made by this Government explaining that its attitude in dealing with the Free French authorities in the Pacific in no way affected its recognition of the sovereignty of France over the French possessions in the Pacific. I asked the Ambassador what he had in mind. He thereupon handed me the draft attached herewith.78 He said this draft was not satisfactory to him but that it indicated in a rough way what he believed would be desirable. It was evident from the way the Ambassador spoke that he had received peremptory instructions from his Government to request this Government to make such a declaration. I said that consideration would be given to this request. The Ambassador asked if he could inform his Government that we viewed the request sympathetically. I replied that what I had said was that the matter “would be given consideration” and that he was not authorized to say any more than that.
- Not printed.↩