Page
THE CHINA MAIL, JULY 20, 1940.
CHINA MAIL
WINDSOR HOUSE
"ALARM OR DESPONDENCY"
Hong Kong's new de-. fence regulation which threatens with heavy pen- alties any person found guilty of publishing com- ments on the war which are "likely to cause alarm or despondency," does not contain like its English| *counterpart any safe- guards against frivolous prosecutions though it makes allowances for good intentions. It is the sort of: regulation that needs to be most carefully adminis- tered. Though one psy- chological crime in war- time is the selection of every feature in events which can assist pessim- ism, another hardly less serious, is the kind of jocose optimism which re- iuses to face unpleasant facts. There is 'no doubt whatever that so far, we have shown a greater ten- dency towards the second crime than towards the first. That has not al- ways been the fault of the public. To-day, however,
PETROL
HITLER
NEED
TO WIN
THIS SUMMER
RACE AGAINST TIME (Copyright in All Countries.)
Petain's Fatal
On Saturday the representatives.
the Bordeaux Government signed the treaty of armistice im- posed by the German victor. all haste they immediately left by
In
Delusion
(as has been so often the casc since 1935) from an accurate ap- praisal of what Hitlerism meant and was going to mean for their country.
As late as last Thursday the policy of the Bordeaux, Govern- ment could not yet be said to have been finally determined.
Last-Minute Indecision
ers that the spirit of the be filled to a certain extent.
Why Was It All Surrendered? therhood of generals and military Anglo-Saxon world and that, in The Government was about to
Ir.
that Communism was
air for Italy (in a German army acroplane) in order to comply also they have no excuse to with the terms of the Fascist Die- indulge in either excessive tator.
Concerning the political deve- THOUGHT GERMAN. ARMY, IF NOT pessimism or in wishful lopments in France during the last
fortnight, Press despatches ang HITLER, WOULD CONCEDE HONOUR- The heavy bombing, which last- thinking. The Prime Min-articles, written in the appalling
ed several hours on Wednesday, ister has treated them Paris to Tours and from Tours to
and seemed to be directed against confusion of mass migration from ABLE TERMS.
[the-residence of the President of with consistent and cour- Bordeaux, have not told all. They the control of the enemy. have realised that, henceforward, the Republic rather than..against have omitted much; from them; so Further they have imagined the independence of their country the quays and the wharves along ageous candour. Mrfar, no intelligible picture has that, apart from the German and could only be established by the the River Garonne, or any other British conceivable military objective, Churchill rightly consid-emerged. This gap may perhaps French Governments, there sur-eventual victory of the
vived, above all frontiers, a bro-Empire, backed by the rest of the swung the pendulumt, British people is high
There is no need to insist upon leaders which might be used so as consequence, whatever help 'could leave for Perpignan, close to Port enough for them to be told the causes which account for the to get relatively moderate terms, be given to them should take pre-Vendres, from which point North-
extent of the disaster to the the reward of courage shown on cedence over everything else." the unvarnished truth, French army; the relevant facts the battlefield,
Such are the lines of the end-ern Africa can be easily reached. An official statement, was, even have become fairly well known. In that spirit, 22 years ago, less ministerial discussions which issued to that effect. The inten and he tells it so soon as eating aside French inferiority Marshal Foch, perhaps, gave up began on June 11 when the French tion, however, did not last more the telling can be of no in aeroplanes and tanks, it is the idea of invading Germany. Government, still headed by Paul than a few hours. Then the forces profit to the enemy. Maginot Line introduced into the Marshal Petail has shown clearly (long selected as the
worth while to emphasise that the Many times in the past 20 years Reynaud, was transferred to Tours working for the conclusion of an
temporary armistice finally prevailed. Frankness in misfortune military system an element of ri-that he regarded the leaders of capital) and ended on June 23 at It had to be realised that, among is by far the best way to gidity and that once that line had the Reichswehr as brothers-in-Bordeaux, when the British pro-
no energetic been. outflanked, or pierced, the arms whose personal feelings and posal for a complete fusion of the France's leaders, resolution produce
doctrine of to whole defence was bound to sense of dignity ought to be res-British and French Governments (champion of the
pected..
was rejected by 14 votes to 10.
forth- "guerre a outrance" was overcome-misfortune, for crumble.
In short, the Maginot Line had It may be recalled that in May,; A feature of those discussions coming, though it would be unfair 'there is no surer way to deprived the army of its mobility. 1935, Petain, who was sent to deserves to be underlined.
not to mention that M. Georges breed" alarm and despon-it was not within its power to Cracow to attend the funeral of Tours, on June 13, Gen. Weygane Mandel, Minister of the Interior,
move and to reform elsewhere. I1 Pilsudski, eagerly took the oppor- argued.
was ready to play that part. In dency" than to break to it failed to hold the ground be-tunity of ingratiating himself with rampant in Paris and said that that critical period he put up a magnificent fight; he showed no the public news of a re-tween the Somme, the Oise and Goering, notwithstanding the fact that Goering could not be regard-
weakness at any time. But, being verse for which they have the Aisne, its fate was sealed.
of Jewish origin, he probably felt But when the army in the north ed as a typical product of the
By A Special Cor- been left totally unprepar-and in the north-east had fallen Reichswehr.
Influence of the Marshal and, of to pieces, France nevertheless re- Marshal Petain and Gen. Wey respondent lately in ed.
mained with a navy practically in-gand, during the last few days
Clemenceau tradition. The Regulation is speci- tact, with an African empire full have steadily ignored the fact that France, who has of troops and quite able to look the Reichswehr High Command is fically designed not to ap-after itself, and with a gold re- no longer a State within the State, been in a position to
It is ironical to reflect that Mar- ply to any servant of the serve placed in good time out of but has been turned into a branch Crown, who is, of course, the French Government was in a ment, and that it is bound puncti-
Thus, of the Nazi machinery of Govern- make a close study shal Petain, Gen. Weygand and M. Paul Baudoin, the Foreign precluded by other regula-position to continue the fight by liously to carry out the Fuehrer's of the French politi|Minister, were put in office by Paul Reynaud himslf, a month tions from publishing he side of thoud indicated) and pledged word of the German cal situation in the go, when he was seemingly all- powerful. Is it to be infertéd news; good or bad, which to fulfil the commitment entered Command will be of any value
from that that the Prime Minister may come into his posses-into on March 28 never to sign alagainst Hitler's orders, and the past few weeks.
was not as wholehearted or sion. But it is also impor-those assets have been surrender-regarded as a guarantee against
uncompromising as he sounded tant that it should not ap-c ed?
any further encroachment upon Thorez, leader of the Communist and that, already, the seeds of a "Cultivating" Reichswehr French sovereignty which Hitler party which was dissolved last very different policy had begun to ply to that class of res- The answer is that Marshal may deem useful to pursue his September, had already succeed-germinate? No: Paul Reynaud only ed in seizing the Elysee. Needless belleved that it was necessary to ponsible criticism which Petain, President of the Council, plans against Britain:
and General Weygand, Minister: The occupation of France by to say the report was quite inac-take certain bold measures which calls attention to deficien- of War and Commander-in-Chief, Germany will hardly differ from curate. M. Georges Mandel, the were overdue including the dis- cies in our administration, have been unduly impressed by what it would be if no treaty of energetic Minister of the Interior, missal of Gen. Gamelin-and that the following considerations: Armistice had been signed.. who was in continuous touch over it was destrable to call in. men Criticism of the conduct They have refused to believe In withstanding the exacting re-the telephone with the Prefet de enjoying great prestige or ranking of the evacuation did that public opinion.cquld be wor quirements of the invader, the Police, M. Langeron, at once ex- among his. opponents and critics.
He Had no doubt that he would:"" to the idea that resistance ought| Burdeaux Government which has posed it as groundless: not, and does not; eman- to be indefinitely prolonged aven signed the armistice will prove This incident shows that preoc- quickly absorb them; Then mill-
with maintaining tary defeat gave such a turni ate from alarmists. Criti-though the enemy should occupy much more helpless than a Gov-cupation cism
ernment which had found shelter France's social tranquillity and the political situation that the op- de-practically the whole country. need, never
They have laboured, under the in Northern Africa. The plan repressing subversive movements ponents and critics found a chance generate into recrimina-delusion that to sign un armistice which Paul Reynaud had in mind weighed heavily with the two which would never
with the Germans would give only. Inst weelt provided for thejoged soldiers, and that they did have been theirs. tion, and it is far more France a chance to restrict the Government taking refuge there, not see the situation in its true Whatever happens, in the near. Weygand's. Groundless. Fonte: constructive: than danger-zone of German occupation and to
spare a great part of the people The most grievous error of the the cruel necessity of living under Petain-Weygand Cabinet is not to
ous.
the reach of the invader.
British and consequently, no
separate peace.
How is it that convention of armistice cannot be
he could not possibly mutch the the General or fully represent the
Frenchmen Will Awake
as
to
otherwise
perspective. !
Kuture, France will not easily be Obce, more, thiet Yipino (oflisogini shangedjurven superficially. Inte revolution deterred French policy a totalitarian country.