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Coll 6/93 'Syria – Situation in after the capitulation of France 1940: Allied operations against :–' [‎135r] (269/1003)

The record is made up of 1 file (500 folios). It was created in 23 Jun 1940-28 Jul 1941. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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THl^tOCUMENT IS THE PR OPE^ffior X/b
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Jpne 12, 1941.
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CONFIDENTIAL. /2
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Section 1 .
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Consul-General Havard to Mr. Eden.—(Received June V2.)
(No. 36.)
^ r ’ Aley (Beirut), April 18, 1941.
WITH reference to my telegra m No. 88 of t he 6th April, in which I reported
the end of the disturbances in Beirut and the projected formation of a Lebanese
Government on new lines, together with the elaboration of a statute somewhat
similar to that recently granted to Syria, I have the honour to state that
M. Alfred Naccache, after his appointment as head of the Government on
the 9th April ( my telegram No, 94 of the 10th A pril), was able on the following
da\ to foi m his Government, consisting of the four following Lnder-Secretaries
of State:—
(1) Ahmed Daouk (Sunni Moslem): Vice-President of the Council and
Under-Secretary of State for the Departments of Public Works and
Posts and Telegraphs.
(2) Joseph Ray year (Greek Catholic): Under-Secretary for Finance and
Food Supply and Control.
(3) Philippe Boulos (Greek Orthodox) : Under-Secretary of State for
National Education and Youth.
(4) Fuad Ousseirane (Shia’ Moslem): Under-Secretary of State for National
Economy and Public Health.
M. Naccache himself retains the post of Under-Secretary of State for the Interior.
2. M. Naccache, who is himself a Maronite by religion, has followed the
time-honoured custom of choosing his collaborators from each of the leading
leligious denominations of the Lebanon, with the exception of the Druses, an
omission which has caused some heart-burning amongst that sect. The Govern
ment, moieover, is to be assisted by a Council of State—yet to be nominated—
whose duty it will be to elaborate laws. There is also to be an Advisorv Council
(Conseil consultatif) composed of the leading political, cultural and economic
elements in the country.
3. I beg to enclose herewith copies( I ) of Decrees Nos. 80 LR and 81 LR
of the 9th April, which deal with the new statute and with the appointment of
the head of the State. It will be seen that article 6 of Decree No. 80/LR
abrogates articles 3, 4 and 5 of Decree No. 246/LR of the 21st September 1939
which, as reported m my telegr am No. 47 of the 22nd S eptemhpr 1939 made
certain provisional amendments to the Lebanese Constitution:
tt- had the honour t0 re P ort in my telegram No 87 nf Hp April
the High Commissioner invited President Edde and his Secretary of State to
resign their offices and thus make way for the formation of the new Government.
his radical change and the rumours that the Lebanon was no longer to be
governed by cliques and clans was welcomed by all classes of the population who
had become heartily sick of the type of politician who had usurped the’hio-h
positions m the State during the last few years.
o. Short biographies of the members of the new Government form another
enclosure to this despatch.! 1 ) M. Alfred Naccache is a young man who eniovs
universal popularity and has an unsullied reputation. As president of the Court
of Appeal he has shown himself to be an honest and conscientious iudo-e and no
criticism of his appointment has been heard. It is true that neither he nor am
of his collaborators have had previous experience of Government administration
and would appear, as a team, to lack drive, yet they all come to the task with
t 1 ) Not Drmtect.
[18—43]
RECd. POl. DEPt.
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Copy No. 9
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Content

This file documents British policy and Allied operations regarding Syria and Lebanon, following the defeat of France in June 1940. It documents preparations for a British-Free French military campaign in Syria [Operation Exporter] and concludes with correspondence regarding armistice terms, following the Allied forces' victory.

The file's principal correspondents are the following: the British Consul, Damascus (Alfred John Gardner); the British Consul-General, Beirut (Godfrey Thomas Havard); the High Commissioner, Palestine (Harold MacMichael); His Majesty's Ambassador in Cairo (Miles Wedderburn Lampson); His Majesty's Ambassador in Bagdad [Baghdad] (Basil Newton, succeeded by Sir Kinahan Cornwallis); His Majesty's Ambassador in Angora [Ankara, Turkey] (Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen); His Majesty's Ambassador in Washington (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, referred to in the correspondence as Viscount Halifax); His Majesty's Minister, Jedda (Hugh Stonehewer Bird); Commander-in-Chief, Middle East (Archibald Wavell); officials of the Foreign Office.

The file includes discussion of the following:

  • British concerns that Italy will seek to gain a foothold in Syria following France's defeat.
  • British policy in the event of the French authorities in Syria and Lebanon being unable to defend their interests.
  • The prospects of independence for Syria.
  • The possibility of British intervention in Syria.
  • The cessation of exports from Syria to Palestine.
  • The arrival in Syria of an Italian armistice commission.
  • The detention of three British ships and their crew in Beirut in August 1940, under orders from the Vichy Government.
  • Proposals for a Free French coup d'état in Syria.
  • Rumours in early 1941 that the Vichy French authorities in Syria are considering some kind of regime change, either by instituting some form of nationalist government, or by installing a monarch, such as Amir Faisal [Fayṣal bin ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Āl Sa‘ūd], son of Ibn Saud [‘Abd al-‘Azīz bin ‘Abd al-Raḥmān bin Fayṣal Āl Sa‘ūd].
  • British policy towards the nationalist movement in Syria.
  • The precise wording and timing of a proposed Free French declaration (to be supported by a British declaration), proclaiming the independence of Syria and Lebanon, to be delivered by General Georges Catroux on behalf of General Charles de Gaulle.
  • Preparations for a Free French-British military intervention in Syria.
  • The Allied forces' military campaign in Syria, which commenced on 8 June 1941.
  • The armistice terms to be offered by the Allies to the Vichy authorities following the cessation of hostilities in Syria, with the United States Consul General at Beirut acting as an intermediary.

The French language material consists of a final draft of the aforementioned Free French declaration (folio 160).

The file includes three dividers which give a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. These are placed at the back of the correspondence (folios 2-4).

Extent and format
1 file (500 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 501; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 6/93 'Syria – Situation in after the capitulation of France 1940: Allied operations against :–' [‎135r] (269/1003), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2166, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100048396969.0x000048> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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