Norman H. Davis,
Acting Secretary.
COLORED TROOPS IN THE FRENCH ARMY.
January 17, 1921.
Hon. Stephen G. Porter,
House of Representatives.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of January 10, 1921, with which you inclose a copy of House joint resolution No. 433, introduced by Mr. Britten, and request that I furnish the Committee on Foreign Affairs with such facts concerning the conduct of French colored troops in the occupied territories of Germany as may be in the possession of the Department of State.
Protests concerning the conduct of French black troops in the Rhenish area began to reach the department toward the end of May, 1920. On June 12, 1920, a telegram was sent to the American embassy in Paris requesting information as to the truth of these allegations and asking what representations might be made to the French Government, if the reports appeared to have a basis of fact. (Appendix I). On June 25, 1920, Mr. Wallace telegraphed that an investigation had been promptly started and that he would arrange with Gen. Allen, in command of the American troops at Coblentz, to secure all possible facts. In a further telegram of this same date Mr. Wallace gave a short summary of the number of colonial troops employed by the French in the occupied territories, reported what Mr. Dresel, American commissioner in Berlin, had told him of the agitation in Germany, and suggested that he speak informally of the matter to M. Millerand. (Appendix II.) The Department of State authorized Mr. Wallace to speak to M. Millerand on the subject, and he reported on July 22 that this had been done. (Appendix II.)
In the meantime, on June 22, the department telegraphed Gen. Allen for such information as he might be able to furnish. This telegram was answered shortly on June 26, giving the number and origin of French colonial troops in the occupied region and an official report of the number of complaints made to the French during the period of occupation and the disposition made of these complaints. (Appendix IV.) On July 2 Gen. Allen submitted a full and detailed report on the matter (Appendix V), in which he pointed out that the allegations of wholesale atrocities were false and intended for political propaganda, that there had been cases of serious misbehavior which had been punished by the French military authorities, that the number of convictions indicated an earnest effort on the part of the French authorities to deal justly with the accusations, and that the discipline of the Senegalese troops had not always been good. I especially commend this report to your attention as a clear and impartial statement of the case. That the French are attempting to maintain good relations with the people of the territory occupied by their armies is made evident in a telegram from Gen. Allen of August 19, in which he cites a French order instructing that “all members of the Army must be dignified, courteous, and just, thus setting the example to the German population of tolerance in order that good will and mutual respect may be established and promoted and ill will and hatred overcome.” (Appendix VI.)