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    "localId": "207523229",
    "label": "Memorandum from W. J. McWilliams to William J. Hopkins, with Attachments",
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    "id": "207523229",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Memorandum from W. J. McWilliams to William J. Hopkins, with Attachments",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/207523229",
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        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
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            "logicalDate": "1951-03-01",
            "month": 3,
            "year": 1951
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    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "-2-\nThe deep interests of France in the Western Mediterranean are\nself evident. Her position in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, her\nsovereignity over Corsica, as well as her continental position on the\nMediterranean, give France as great an interest in Western Mediterranean\naffairs as any nation in Europe. With regard to the Eastern part of the\nMediterranean, France's interest stems from the economic, cultural and\npolitical position it enjoyed until recent years. The French Government\nhas made clear that it now regards the petroleum resources in the Near\nEast and the communications to Indo China and other territories of the\nFrench Union via the Suez Canal as of capital importance to the vital\ninterest of the French Republic. The United Kingdom and France have a\ntreaty relationship with Turkey which France considers as being ample\nevidence of the importance she attaches to the general area of the\nMiddle East. France does not believe that it is possible to isolate\nWestern and Eastern Mediterranean affairs.\nFrance's position in the Near East has suffered a marked decline\nsince the begining of World War II. During the period of her mandate\nin Syria and Lebanon she exerted strong political, economic and cultural\ncontrol. However, her popularity declined over the period of years and\nwith the fall of France in 1940 it reached a low point. When these two\ncountries became independent several years later, it was clear that\nthere was a strong antipathy toward any French military, economic or\npolitical influence in the area. This antipathy continues up to the\npresent moment. There is no sign that it is likely to decrease.\nFrance has one major interest in Iraq in the form of a 23 percent share\nof the Iraq Petroleum Company. French cultural influence continues\nstrong in Egypt and Lebanon, and France has displayed a keen interest\nin the Holy Places of Palestine.\nIt has been the opinion of the United States Government that the\nprestige of France in the Middle East had declined to such an extent\nthat it would not be possible for France to make any useful contribu-\ntion in the political or military fields for the time being. NSC 47/2,\n\"United States Policy Toward Israel and the Arab States\", approved\nOctober 17, 1949, states: \"There should also be close United States-\nUnited Kingdom collaboration wherever possible to achieve the basic\nobjectives. In addition, the United States should bear in mind the\ndesirability of collaborating with France and with Turkey and with\nother Moslem non-Arab states in the area for the same purpose whenever\nit is feasible and practicable.\"\nNSC 47/5, \"United States Policy Toward the Arab States and Israel\",\napproved by the President March 17, 1951, was prepared for the purpose\nof developing a policy for the United States to follow in the Arab\nstates\nTOR"
}