The secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Leahy)
Washington, December 25, 1941.
The Secretary of State issued the following statement today :
« Our preliminary reports show that the action taken by three so-called Free French ships at St. Pierre-Miquelon was an arbitrary action contrary to the agreement of all parties concerned and certainly without the prior knowledge or consent in any sense of the U.S. Government.
This Government has inquired of the Canadian Government as to the steps that Government is prepared to take to restore the status quo of these islands. »
Cordell Hull