STILL OBSCURE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 32, 7 February 1941, Page 7

STILL OBSCURE

VICHY DECISIONS

LAVAL'S ATTITUDE

SURRENDER OF NAVAL BASES

LONDON, February 6.

So far there has been no hint of decisions reached at yesterday's meeting of the Vichy Cabinet. Admiral Darlan is now on his way back to Paris with the Vichy reply to the Nazis' latest demands. This, as usual, has been passed through M. Laval as intermediary. One'report says that Admiral Darlan is accompanied by the Vichy Minister of War.

German sources are putting it about that the Admiral will return tomorrow evening or on Saturday and that Marshal Petain will reach a decision over the weekend after he has received a further reply from M. Laval. These German reports suggest that Vichy is putting forward counter-pro-posals. Neutral reports hint at :some sort of compromise providing for the inclusion of M. Laval in the Vichy Government without accepting Germany's more extreme demands.

Many rumours are circulating about changes in the Vichy Cabinet but these are all without definite confirmation.

The Vichy correspondent of a Swiss newspaper said M. Laval told Admiral Darlan that he would not mind hand«.ng over to the Germans naval bases in the south of France and Tunis so long as Germany did not demand the active collaboration of the French fleet and army. He says that M. Laval will not join the Vichy Government unless he is given control of police, Press, and radio and has authority over both occupied and unoccupied France.

Meanwhile, the threats of the Ger-man-controlled radio in Paris become more and more violent. The radio quotes a newspaper statement that unless Marshal Petain gets rid of his present officials a new problem will arise—that of saving the marshal.

After Admiral Darlan had left Vichy for Paris today the United States Ambassador, Admiral Leahy, paid a visit to Marshal Petain. The Germans suggest that he has been trying to learn what instructions the French Minister of Marine was carrying to Laval. Vichy radio stations today repeated an appeal asking young Frenchmen to join the army. This followed an appeal for naval personnel which was broadcast a few days ago.