VICHY WARNED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 4 August 1941, Page 5

VICHY WARNED

AXIS COLLABORATION g STATEMENT BY MR WELLES Washington, Aug. 2. The failure of France to resist ’ Japanese aggression in French 1 lntlo—China menaced American 1 security, said the Assistant Sccres j tary of State, Mr Welles, in a state--1 ment assailing French collaboration e with the Axis. The Vichy Government, he said, had given repeated i assurances to the United States that I it would not co-operate with the Axis beyond the armistice obligations and would defend the terri—c . tories under its control against any 1 ' aggression on the part of third Powers. d . , - ; The United States had now received t j information of the terms of the agreei ment covering the so-called common s ! defence of French Indo—China, showing j. i that Vichy had virtually transferred d ! that part of the French Empire to a ' Japan. The United States, therefore, d | had warned Vichy that future Ameno can relations with France would be v i guided by the degree of effectiveness o ! with which France defended its terri- ■ ! tories against Axis aggression.—U.P.A.