TELLING RETORT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20571, 3 June 1941, Page 4

TELLING RETORT

VICHY ALLEGATIONS

DETENTION OF SHIPPING CONTROL BY NAZIS I Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Ollicial Wireless.) Reed. 9 a.m. RUGBY, June 2. Telling comment is made by the Ministry of Economic Warfare on Admiral Darlan’s recent accusation that Britain illegally detained 792,000 tons of French shipping valued at 120,000,000,000 francs. “Why does the admiral choose this moment to launch his attack?” it is asked. ‘The Axis is facing a shipping crisis. Since the beginning of the war to May 13 almost 3,000,000 tons of Axis shipping has been captured. seized, or sunk. It needs every ship it can lay hands on in the attempt to solve the acute transport problem. “Sinkings by bombers of the Coastal Command in the North Sea and the Channel have been particularly heavy recently and Germany is finding increasing difficulty in pressing the seamen of occupied territories into her service. In addition, the problem of Mediterranean shipping is of vital-im-portance to. her. Our action against Axis-controlled shipping in the Mediterranean is, from the Axis point of view, a Battle of the Mediterranean comparable to the Battle of the Atlantic.

“Is it surprising that this moment should have been chosen for Admiral Darlan to launch a complaint? It is the old smokescreen of German accusation to distract attention from her own intentions. Not content with her effective control over French merchant shipping she is anxious to embroil the unwilling French public directly with Britain. It is interesting to note that a large number of French merchant ships are particularly suitable for service in the Mediterranean as troop carriers, being fast liners of shallow draught.

Ships Conveniently Mislaid

“Admiral Darlan admits that 36,000 tons of the 792,000 is controlled by the Free French. He also admits that 142,000 tons are immobilised in United States ports by order of President Roosevelt. He also admits that 86.000 tons have been sunk—that is coastal traffic in the direct service of Germany. J

“In a Vichy survey of French shipping broadcast by the German transocean service on May 21 it was officially announced that 43,000 tons were under the Free French flag. Seven thousand tons seem conveniently to have been mislaid by the admiral. Thus 271,000 tons must be subtracted from 792,000 before Vichy can begin to talk of ‘British piracy.’

“Further, in a Vichy survey of May 20 it was officially admitted that 250,000 tons of French merchant shipping was seized by Germany in occupied territory at the armistice. Though subsequently denied by Germany, a reliable report from Vichy sources cm April 20 claimed that 53 ships of .240,000 tons had been requisitioned by w e occupying forces for use under direct German control. Even if we .o act allow this claim, only 271,000 tons ol French shipping can be said co have fallen into British hands. Orders From Germany “Against this, Vichy has detained over 200,000 tons of British and Allied shipping in unoccupied French, North African, and other colonial ports. She did this at the order of the German armistice commission, thus proving from the first day that the armistice commission controlled French ports and communication routes which Admiral Darlan now claims the right freely to dispose of. “We know that no French ship may be transferred from one route to another without permission from the armistice commission. We know that all French cargo manifests must be

.o:i.ii.ed to mat commission to enable the Axis to control shipping space for her own war needs and to vake the lion's share even of imports into unoccupied France. We know that orders for scuttling are issued by the French Admiralty by order of che armistice commission. It can clearly be seen that the free disposal .if France’s ports and communication routes by Admiral Darlan or Vichy is as illusory as the freedom of Vichy from German control in other fields.

PROTEST BY VICHY BOMBING OF SFAX (Reed. June 3, 9 a.m.) VICHY. June 2

A message from Madrid says that the French Ambassador handed the British Ambassador, Sir Samuel Hoare, a protest against the bombing of the Tunisian port of Sfax, The two Ambassadors had a lengthy discussion.