771.00/10–3054: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State1
1838. Reference: Deptel 1567.2 During interview with Mendes this morning, I told him that the Secretary had wanted to speak with him concerning Morocco as US was concerned regarding course of events there and was most interested in hearing his views and program.
[Page 660]Mendes said that he had not had adequate time personally to study Morocco problem but as he saw it there were two separate problems in Morocco at present. First, the need for dramatic and fundamental reforms in the economic and social fields primarily, but also in political field to somewhat lesser extent, and secondly, dynastic problem. He said that present situation would be helped if dramatic reforms of social and economic nature could take minds of population temporarily off dynastic problem. However, he felt population was still in state of such nervous crisis that this could not be hoped for and that economic and social reforms which French intended to carry out would not be adequate to restore situation.
As to dynastic problem, Mendes said that he felt time was not yet ripe for solution and that solution would only come after some time had elapsed and people had tired of state of crisis and become more compromise-minded. He said that various solutions had been proposed. The first of these involved resignation of present Sultan and creation of regency to rule for interim period. Mendes said that he personally was opposed to this solution as he felt that while it might calm things down for few weeks it would solve nothing and fight would continue between opponents and adherents of former Sultan now in exile. Second suggested solution had been creation of Khalif or religious leader to separate religious from temporal authorities. Mendes did not believe that this would be useful as struggle would continue as to who should exercise temporal political authority. Third solution, and to Mendes’ mind best, would be resignation of present Sultan and election of new Sultan who would be acceptable to all factions including former Sultan who is now in exile. Difficulty in this solution according to Mendes was that latest information indicated that exiled Sultan was not as yet prepared to agree to appointment of any new Sultan whom he would freely and fully recognize.
Mendes said he recognized that situation was at an impasse but he felt that there was nothing that could be done about it for moment except to institute economic and social reforms which he did not expect to be enough to calm down feelings which have been stirred up over dynastic issue.