Memorandum from Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew to President Harry S. Truman

TOP SECRET DEGLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (2) Dept. of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 By NLINE NARS Date 7-22-75 DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASHINGTON June 5, 1945 MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT Subject: Current Foreign Developments Levantines Grateful to U.S. The Presidents and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of both Syria and Lebanon have expressed deep appreciation for what the Syrians call the "precious support of the American Government "during the bloody days of abominable oppression". The Lebanese authorities have expressed concern that their country should not be left in a more onerous relationship viv-a-vis the French than Syria. The British interven- tion has apparently so far affected Syria only, leaving the French in military control of Lebanon, since the Lebanese authorities averted any disturbances. In Paris, British Ambassador Duff Cooper told Ambassador Caffery that he experienced sympathy for the French Foreign Minister when the latter showed him the very stiffly worded London instructions to the British military in the Levant. The most extreme French reaction so far reported to the British attitude has been that of Finance Minister Pleven. He told Ambassador Caffery last Friday that if France now had to withdraw from the Levant, "it would be a pleasure to see Britain face to face with Russia in the Middle East as there was no doubt in the minds of the French which was the stronger". The French would be glad to leave the British "to the isolation that they so richly deserve". Security NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND THE RECORDS SERVICE**