FRENCH FLEET

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 July 1940, Page 7

FRENCH FLEET

DUBLIN LEGATION’S CHARGE MISLEADING VERSION [by CABLE —PRESS ASSH. —COPYRIGHT.] (Recd. July 16, 9 a.m.) LONDON, July 15. The French Legation in Dublin in issuing a statement, with reference to the French fleet, “so that the Irish people will be in a position to form independent neutral judgment,” says: The ships at Oran were attacked when disarming, and were in no position to manoeuvre or fire. They had neithei’ wireless nor planes at their disposal. If the British Admiralty, or Foreign Office had approached the French Government after the armistice concerning the clause relating to the fleet, the French Government would have shown that full precautions were being taken to ensure that Germany and Italy could not take over the fleet, even if. it broke the pledge against doing so. ADMIRALTY’S DENIAL.

REAL FACTS OUTLINED. • RUGBY, July 15. _ An Admiralty communique states: A statement alleged to have been issued by the French Legation in Dub - lin, last night, has been brought to the notice of the Admiralty. Parts of this statement are so mischievous that it is considered desirable to make the following comment: By the terms of the armistice, the French fleet was to be assembled at ports under Italian or German control, and demilitarised, except in the German terms. “Those ships necessary for watching the coast and minesweeping,” and in the Italian terms, “except for units which the Italian or German Governments design for the protection of French colonial interests.” Whatever interpretation the French Government may have given to these terms, it is clear to the British Government thffi the Germans and Italians had thereby provided themselves with excuses for keeping the whole French fleet in a state of readiness for action against us when, they wished. Referring to the action at Oran, the British Admiralty states: Shortly after the arrival of the ship carrying the British proposals, the French warships began to prepare for sea and battle. Lengthy negotiations ensued, and it was not until eight and a-half hours after the French had begun preparations that the British opened fire. Within five minutes of this time, the French ships replied, and not long after, the French ships began moving out of the harbour. During the afternoon, our aircraft were attacked by a total of 21 French aeroplanes. With reference to the Dublin statement regarding the torpedoing of a French light cruiser, the facts are that the Admiralty representative interviewed the head of the French Naval Mission, not the French naval attache, on the night of July 5. He expressed the Admiralty’s deep regret that a French light cruiser had been sunk, owing to the fact that the instructions issued to submarines on the completion of the operation of July 7, that the French ships were r.c longer to be attacked, had not reached one submarine. The last action against the ships at Mersel Kebir was on July 6, and at no time aid any British aircraft fire on any sailors or civilians leaving the disabled ships.

Following the refusal of the French Admiral at Dakar, to accept any of the four alternatives offered to him on July 7, action was taken early on July 8 to prevent the Richelieu falling into the hands of the enemy.

The assurances referred to in the Dublin statement were not given until July 12. From the above it will be seen that the statement alleged to have been issued by the French Legation in Dublin, is both inaccurate and misleading. FRENCH CRUISER

OTTAWA, July 15.

The Canadian Navy Minister, Mr. Angus MacDonald, commenting on German radio reports that the French cruisei' “Emile Bertin” had escaped from Halifax harbour, made a statement that the “Emile Berton” left on June 21, while the French were still fighting and with the full knowledge of the Canadians.