THE FRENCH FLEET

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21158, 6 July 1940, Page 7

THE FRENCH FLEET

OFFER TO ADMIRAL ALTERNATIVE COURSES BRITISH PROPOSALS I United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) LONDON, July 4 Alternative courses of action were offered by Britain to Admiral Gensoul, the French officer in command of the warships at Oran, in the document placed before him by Captain C. S. Holland, of the Royal Navy. The operative paragraphs of this document—the refusal of which by Admiral Gensoul led to the regrettable naval action—were quoted by Mr Churchill in the House of Commons as follows: “It is impossible for us to allow your fine ships to fall into the power of our German or Italian enemies. We are determined to fight to the end, and if we win—as we think we shall—we shall never forget that France was our ally and that our interests are the same as hers, and that our common enemy is Germany. And we solemnly declare we shall restore her territory to France. For this purpose, we must be sure the best ships of the French Navy are not used against us by the common foe. “In these circumstances, His Majesty’s Government have instructed me that the French Fleet now at Mers el Kebir and Oran shall act in accordance with one of the following alternatives:

“Sail with us and continue the fight against the enemy; or sail with reduced crews, under our control, to British ports. The reduced crews will be repatriated at the earliest possible moment. If either of these courses is adopted by you we will restore your ships to France at the conclusion of the war, with compensation if they should be damaged meanwhile. “Sail Them With Us” “Alternatively, if you feel bound to stipulate your ships are not to be used against the Germans or the Italians unless they break the armistice conditions, then sail them with us with reduced crews to some French port in the West Indies— Martinique, for instance where they can be demilitarised, or be perhaps entrusted to the United States and remain safe until the end of the war, the crews being repatriated to France. “If you refuse £hese fair offers, I must, with profound regret, require you to sink your ships within six hours. “Failing the above, I have orders of the Government to use whatever force may be necessary to prevent your ships from falling into German or Italian hands.” Some in Scottish Waters It is understood that besides the French warships at Portsmouth and Plymouth, mentioned by Mr Churchill, more are at anchor in Scottish waters. A group of British and French naval ratings walked arm-in-arm in the streets of a Scottish porf yesterday, singing the “Marseillaise” and “God Save the King.”