DAKAR CAPTIVES

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 80, 28 December 1940, Page 9

DAKAR CAPTIVES

Men Released By Vichy Government COMMENT BY GENERAL DE GAULLE (British onicial Wireless.) RUGBY, December 26. The Free France Press Department states: “The Vichy Government has.announced that all or part of the French officers and n.c.o.’s caught at the end of September at Dakar in a trap laid for their comrades have now been released. The Vichy communique adds that those officers and n.c.o.’s requested to be allowed to serve again with the French army. General de Gaulle welcomes the fact that French public opinion is now wide awake and has finally compelled the men who collaborate with the enemy to release these brave officers and n.c.o.’s. It will be noted that till recently Vichy had intended to bring before a court-martial these very same men who were guilty only of having tried.to prevent at Dakar a pitched battle between Frenchmen, a calamity which, due partly to them, was happily avoided. . The Leader of Free Frenchmen highly approves their decision to take up again duties with that part of the army which, having not yet engaged the enemy, will beyond doubt do so sooner or later. It is. however, to be clearly understood that the step taken by Vichy ■will in no way modify the safety measures taken as regards certain generals and senior officers arrested by 1' ree French forces in the course of recent police operations in Africa. Those officers had iu fact been misled by propaganda emanating from the enemy and his collaborators to 'the point where they opened tire on French forces.