President Roosevelt to the British Prime Minister (Churchill)66
290. Replying to your messages numbered 316 and 318 of the 18th of June, I am glad to be reassured that you are in complete agreement [Page 161] with me on the major question of the control in Africa of the Military forces which question includes the security of our lines of supply.
My telegram Number 288 was based on the fact that the Committee of seven had, by an unpublished decree of the 7th of June, been increased to fourteen, a fact which had not been made known to Macmillan or Murphy until the 16th of June. It would appear that the Committee now stands as overwhelmingly De Gaullist. Full authority over all the war effort of French territory and the French is claimed by this augmented Committee. I am sure you agree that the jeopardizing of our military position in North Africa by an antagonistic element in such control cannot be accepted by us.
- Copy of telegram obtained from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, N.Y.↩