PEACE SOUGHT BY VICHY

Southland Times, Issue 24521, 23 August 1941, Page 7

PEACE SOUGHT BY VICHY

TREATY WITH NAZIS REPORTED TERMS BROUGHT BACK BY DARLAN (Rec. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, Aug. 21. Since the Vice-Premier, Admiral Jean Darlan, returned from Paris the Vichy Government has been busily considering a proposal for a separate preliminary Franco-Ger-man peace, by which they would become “friendly States,” says The Times correspondent on the French frontier. , Under these terms France would:— (1) Cede Alsace-Lorraine to Germany once and for all. (2) France would not be required to cede any territory to Italy, retaining Nice, Corsica and Tunisia. (3) Part of the German occupation troops would be withdrawn, those remaining—like those in Italy and Rumania —constituting “nationals of a friendly State.” This condition of “friendly relations” implies that France would place at Germany’s disposal all her own resources, including particularly air bases and naval bases in France and Africa. (4) After a German victory France would receive Wallonian Belgium in compensation for the loss of AlsaceLorraine. (5) France would be ceded the British West African colonies, namely, Nigeria, the Gold Coast and Sierra Leone _in order to round off the French Empire, which Germany and France would then exploit conjointly. (6) In return for renouncing her claims on Tunisia Italy would be compensated by the annexation of Egypt. OCCUPATION PAYMENT It is announced in Berlin that Germany has reduced the occupation payment from France from 400,000,000 francs daily to 300,000,000 francs. M. Paul Berthelot, Minister of Communications, broadcasting from Vichy, warned saboteurs among the railway workers. He was resolved, whatever the cost, to strike at certain ones, among them. Acts of sabotage had occurred in several regions. Fiance’s supply system was at stake, because if German goods trains were delayed French shipments must wait until the original German shipments were moved to their destination. “Saboteurs make themselves the allies of England, who is waging war against a disarmed France,” he said.