A LITTLE RIFT

Evening Star, Issue 25470, 28 April 1945, Page 8

A LITTLE RIFT

FRENCH ORDERED FROM STUTTGART SHAEF WOULD SUBSTITUTE AMERICAN AUTHORITY (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, April 27. The French War Minister, M. Dietlhelm, reported to a Cabinet meeting this morning that Shaef had taken steps to substitute American military government for French military government , in Stuttgart, which the French First Army captured last week, says Paris radio.

Cabinet agreed to maintain French military government until an agreement is signed between France and the Allied Govern relents fixing the extent of the French occupation zone. Renter's correspondent at Shaef says this rebuff of Shaef is the highlight oi the whole diplomatic muddle in Allied military' progress, which is apparently going faster than Allied organisation. The Shaef spokesman refused to comment on the report that Shaef had ordered the French capturers to withdraw from Stuttgart. He stated that army boundaries during the Sixth Army Group's military operations are at General Devers's discretion, and armies in. fluid fighting sometimes overlap.The correspondent-adds : The French attiude is that, as the Big Three have, not told France what zones she will occupy after the war. French troops should not be asked to get out from the only important German city they have entered.

The Associated Press correspondent says why Shaef should order the French out is not clear from any military viewpoint. The issue, aside from its potential strain on military co-ordination, again raises the whole question of. postwar zoning.