KD                                     (Paris)
This telegram must be                        Vichy
closely paraphrased be-  
fore being communicated                      Dated August 1, 1941
to anyone.  (SC)
                                        Rec'd 6:46 a.m., 2d
 
Secretary of State,
     Washington.
 
     970, August 1, 4 pm (SECTION FIVE)
 
     The Marshal then stated, glancing at a paper
which had been prepared for him, that he understands
our press is becoming ber critical of France and
that it is urging either an American or British attack
on Dakar, or a Gaullist move "so that France could not
say the Colony was being taken from her." "That,"
said the Marshal, "we cannot, of course, accept."
     As to the Russian campaign about which they
talked later, the Admiral said that we must recognize
that Germany has rendered a great service to Europe;
that the Russian Amry has proved much stronger than
anyone, including the Germans had thought, both as to
quantities of material and the qualities of its General
Staff.  That Army would have swept over the entire
Europe had the Germans not attacked them and one only
had to look at the faces of Russian soldiers to guess
what would left of the Continent.  Russian losses were