DAKAR INCIDENT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 264, 5 October 1940, Page 8

DAKAR INCIDENT

EYE-WITNESS STORY. UNARMED MEN’S FATE. (United Press Association —Copyright.) LONDON, Oct. 3. Captain G. Thierry d’Argenlieu, who is a priest in peace-time, led the party of General de Gaulle’s representatives who attempted to land at Dakar last week. When the Vichy supporters fired on the party, Captain d’Argenlieu was seriously wounded in a thigh and stood in his boat, with blood streaming across his white uniform under a hail of machine-gun bullets, and directed the withdrawal until the last of his party had withdrawn.

An eye-witness of the Dakar action said that two boats shoved off from the French destroyer Savorgnan de Brazza six miles off Dakar: The • first contained unarmed former . French Deputies in full dress colonial uniform and the second was manned by n.c.o.’s and sailors similarly unarmed. A young ensign and lieutenant, after first refusing, permitted the party to land. Other Dakar-'officials telephoned the Governor-General for instructions and he flatly refused to receive the delegation, and ordered the party to sen. .Captain d’Argenlieu then asked: “What if wo refuse?” The reply was : “You will be arrested.”

Then an orderly rushed up with a written order commanding the arrest of the entire party. Captain d’Argenlieu shouted a quick warning to his officers and leaped to the boat. As they pulled away from the quay, the ensign hoarded a small trawler and ordered machine-guns to''be trained on the party. Momentary hesitation on the part of the gun crews enabled the boats to reach the outer limits of the harbour. There they met a niurr derous fire from the harbour moles. Captain d’Argenlieu was wounded immediately, but halted his boat and awaited the second, which was slower. PEOPLE’S ATTITUDE DIFFERS. General • de Gaulle’s headquarters states: “News received from French West Africa shows that, in spite of the attitude of the local authorities at Dakar ; the ‘free’ French movement daily increases in power. To counteract any movement by the Dakar population, who aro determined that the Germans shall not take the port and are alarmed by the attitude of the local authorities, machine-guns have been stationed on buildings. The Gov-ernor-General has dismissed the Dakar Municipality. Owing to fear of hostile demonstrations, funeral services tor the victims of last week’s incidents were held not in the Cathedral, «hut on board the cruiser Georges Leygues. A Court-Martial has been set up and is sitting permanently. Many arrests have been made. “These facts clearly indicate that the population is favourable to de Gaulle, who is regarded more and more as the only possible saviour ot the French Empire.”