Telegram from John G. Winant to Secrertary of State Edward Stettinius

DEPARTMENT INCOMING DIVISION OF OF CENTRAL SERVICES STATE TELEGRAM TELEGRAPH SECTION DSH-1039 London This telegram must be closely paraphrased be- Dated June 5, 1945 fore being communicated to anyone. (SECRET*) REC'd 5:20 p.m. Secretary of State E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) DECLASSIFIED Niashington Dept. NITCHE NARS Date 725.25 of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 By 5675, June 5, 9 p.m. An official of the French DEPT of FONOFF today said the following about the situation in the Levant: One. DE Gaulle has turn ed down pointblank the urgent British request that he countermand the orders of the cruiser JEANNE D'ARC which is now due in Beirut tomorrow with reinforcements. The British naturally will do Everything possible to avoid a clash but it is not likely that GEn Paget will permit further armed French forces to dis Embark. Two. The present French Levant policy, in the belief of the Foreign Office is almost Entirely DE Gaulle's, this theory being borne out by the fact the t the llinister of Reconstruction came to the British Embassy in Paris and asked to find out just what was going on in the Levant, as he had no knowledge. Furthernore, Chauvel, Secretary GEnEral of the Quai d'Orsay has told the British Embassy that political A ARCHIVES *'NATIONAL SERVICES AECORDS AMD