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K.E.
It would seen from the revised text of the
"Joint Declaration" that it is now intended that this should
be signed not only on behalf of the Governments of countries
v/hich are actually fighting the Axis powers or are in enemy
occupation, but by those Central American Governments which
have quite recently declared war.
If this is a fact then it would seem that the
case for allowing the Free French to be associated in some
way with the Declaration is still stronger*
In the first place, it seems altogether illogical
that the Free French, who have been fighting the Germans for
over two years and are now actually fighting in Libya, should
not be allowed to be associated with the Declaration while
the Central American countries, who are never likely to take
any serious part in actual hostilities and who, in fact, may
have declared war largely in order to get financial assistance
and armaments from the U.S. should be parties to the Declara-
tion.
Secondly, deliberately to exclude the Free French
when they were allowed to take part in the St. James*s Palace
Conference several months a gp will not only greatly discourage
the
Free
French but, I am afraid, will convince them
a) that
W and
the U.S. are hostile to the Free French cause
Cb)
thai: the
either.
U.K. is not prepared to stand up for them
/or.'. ng on top of*Bhe St. r.crre ana Kiquelon trouble the
effeev   on the Free French Movement generally and on the
relations' between General de Gaulle and the British authorities
may well |ous•
?he trouble seems tc arise largely from the fact
that the U.S'.iH^or rather the Stats      ,yrt~e:-.t persist in
regarding de Oeu\Je as%ing the creature cC the Govern-
ment alone and a-s^*^ r.o i^rt^rest or value to the general war
effort or to the otheN^cc  - -;ri,es fighting Germany.    This is
wrong
uite apart
ench "troops
by a ancT
altogether a wrong pic
resistance which the Fre<
rendering in the Battle of
Britain - both of which are
effort - the fact that French EqtUvtorial
hands and not in the hands of VichyXj^j of
tance to our communications across Afr^Aa.
advantages accrue to the U.S. as well as trcr
anything should happen which would make itimpCBsible*
allied aircraft to fly across French Equatorial Africi
U.S. would suffer almost as much as ourselves, further
the fact that Noumea and Hew Caledonia are in Free French
hands may prove to be of considerable importance for the
U.S. in the Pacific.   Had these Colonies still been in the
hands of Vichy, there is no knowing that they might not have
o tea
followed/
followed the example of Indo-China and by this time have
been in Japanese hands.
I hope therefore that despite Mr. Welles1s
discouraging attitude yesterday you, or perhaps the Prime
Minister, may feel able to make yet a further effort to
secure the inclusion of the Free French in the signature
of the Joint Declaration.
28th December, 1941.
At
to
M