PETAIN TEMPORISING

Grey River Argus, 6 February 1941, Page 5

PETAIN TEMPORISING

On Hitler’s Big Demands (Received Feb. 5, 10 p.m.) LONDON, February 5. Admiral Darlan, on his arrival at Vichy from Paris, immediately saw Marshal Petain. M. Flandin and General Huntziger later joined the meeting, which lasted one and a half hours. After tnis Admiral Darlan again conferred With Marshal Petain alone. The British United Press Vichy correspondent stated: The latest attempt at a re-rapprochment oetween M. Laval and Marshal Petain has not entirely been successful. Admiral Darlan, consequently, will soon return to Paris so as to keep negotiations open. He is making an effort to bring M. Laval’s ambitions within limits that are acceptable to Marshal Petain. VICHY, February 5. M. Jean Marchand has been appointed to replace M. Langeron. A decree explains that the Germans prevented M. Langeron from exercising his functions. M. Langeron has reported to have been arrested on a serious charge. STUTTGART, February 5. The radio here, broadcasting in French, warned France not to place any hopes in a British victory. Such an attitude, it says, showed “inexcusable frivolity, bordering on high treason.” It added that unless all Frenchmen make up uieir minds without delay to carry out a re-ad-justment that is indispensable in the political, economic and social spheres, the difficulties under which France is labouring will grow worse—possibly with disastrous speed. A young French air mechanic, desirous of joining the R.A.F. seized a seven-passenger luxury cabin plane in an airfield in occupied France and flew to England. He landed in a bumpy field on a farm in Cornwall.

The Frenchman said he was fed up with living under German rule. British View HITLER WANTS BASES. IN MEDITERRANEAN. (Received February 5, 7.30 p.m.). RUGBY. February 4. Although only the scantiest information. derived mainly from indirect. sources, is available in London, they lit!let doubt that, a state of tension exists between the Vichy Government and Herr Hitler, and that it has reached a critical stage. Contradictory rumours have been current on all aspects of the latest developments, but a report which finds general acceptance by the press is that Admiral Darlan, at his meeting in Paris yesterday, gave Herr Hitler’s personal Ambassador, Herr Abetz, some indication of Marshal Petain’ s reply to Herr Hitler’s recent Note, winch has been described as curt and threatening. “The Times,” in a leading article, says: “Everything indicates that a crisis has been reached, and that the strongest pressure is being brought to bear on th e Vichy Government to accept German demands, whose precise nature can still be only guessed. Re-appointment of M. Laval to a leading Cabinet position wou’d bo a personal humiliation to Marshal Petain, who dismissed him recently for more than sufficient reasons. Itwould be an affront Io a large majority of French people. whos e opinion of this astute turncoat was not formed yesterday. But what Herr Hitler really wants from the Vichy Government is something far more concrete, and far mor e important. Unless all of the omens are false, the principal point at isnie is the possession of French Mediterranean bases, and possibly of units of the French Fleet still congregated there.