FRENCH CHARGES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21200, 24 August 1940, Page 8

FRENCH CHARGES

REPLY BY BRITAIN EFFECT OF DEFECTION PROMISES NOT KEPT (Official Wireless) (Received August 24, 3.15 p.m.) RUGBY, August 23 M. Baudouin, French Foreign Minister, broadcasting, spoke of the definite proposals made from Vichy to the British Government on August 2 regarding food supplies. It can authoritatively be stated that no such proposals on this subject have reached the British Government from Vichy since the departure of the French Embassy from London. M. Baudouin complained against the British Government that supplies from the French overseas possessions cannot reach France, but the only guarantee he is able to produce against misappropriation by the Nazi authorities of any tood supplies which were permitted to reach France was the promise of the Nazi Government. No independent Frenchman could take such promises seriously. M. Baudouin’s ingenuous faith in them betrays once against the extent to which the Vichy Government is compelled to act as the mouthpiece of Berlin. It will be recalled that as recently as this week Marshal Petain is reported to have told the correspondent of the New York Times: “I will not pretend that this Government is free. The Germans hold the rope and twist it whenever they consider the agreement is not being carried oat.”

M. Baudouin showed resentment at Mr Churchill’s plain account of the effect of the French defection on the plans for the defence of British and French Somaliland, necessitating the withdrawal from British Somaliland, but he displayed a deliberate blindness to facts, which can only be explained by the wish to placate the Italian Government. His argument that the French garrison of 5000 troops at Djibuti would be insufficient reinforcement to prevent an Italian advance in that area totally ignores the wider considerations of Allied strategy in the Middle East. Mr Churchill pointed out that prior to the French collapse a decision had been taken by the Allied commanders to maintain their positions in Somaliland. Their plans provided for the immediate reinforcement by a brigade in case of need. In addition further reinforcement could have come from Syria. In view of the French defection, not merely in Djibuti but also in Syria, Tunis and French North Africa, British troops could not be spared from Egypt and Palestine to reinforce the small Somaliland garrison.