THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 12, 1941.
HIGH TENSION IN FRANCE All-Day Conferences Of Leaders
U.S. NEAR STRANGE German Demands
NEW
TO BREAK PLANE
~The famous aviator,
WITH VICHY
James Mollison, now em-
American relations with ployed in the Air Trans- Vichy are rapidly ap- port Auxiliary, has just
H
For Military
Bases In Africa
THE POLITICAL TENSION IN VICHY “REMAINS HIGH, SAYS
proaching a climax and a returned to England after THE "DAILY TELEGRAPH," WHICH #REPORTS THAT DAY-LONG break in the very near a
remarkable flight to AND CONSTANT CONFERENCES ARE GOING ON BETWEEN MAR- future would be hardly French Equatorial Africa. SHAL PETAIN, ADMIRAL DDARLAN, GENERALS WEYGAND AND surprising, according to He had ferried a "Cunliffe Owen HUNTZIGER. well-informed circles in Flying Wing," a new unorthodox
arasigenerally thou vht that yesterday's meeting would be forced type of Civil aircraft to the Free Washington.
French forces in Chad.
to decide, one way or the other, on the German “suggestions.“ This aircraft is designed to governments have been hanging carry freight and. passengers in E. B. Wareing, writing in the "Daily: Tele- some time and have probably instead of in the fuselage. graph," says that what is actually on the been maintained by Washington The "Flying Wing" has no fuse- Cabinet's agenda is the demand for facili- tion with an important European word the tall controls are con- ties" at "Dakar, Algiers, Casablanca · and
The relations between the two
by little more than a thread for the centre section of the
wings
chiefly to provide the administra- lage in the normal sense of the
listening-post and also iṛ the hope that American influence would to some extent offset German pres- sure on Vichy.
nected to the centre wing by two | booms.
ture is that it enables a greater
Bizerta.
The great feature of this struc- The references to "shortening the German lines However, information indicat load be carried with less engine of communication," says Wareing, must be read in ing increasing subservience of power than in other aircraft. It connection with the fact that Bizerta is only about Vichy to Berlin continues to is fully expected that after the hand the fatest report being war this new design of aircraft 130 miles from the Italian port of Trapani, whereas that the French have agreed to will have a revolutionising effect the route now used for reinforcing the German and send French troops in Indo-on civil aviation-British Wire- |
Italian armies in Libya from Catania to Tripoli- is more than twice that distance.
to the borders China
of the less. Yunnan and Kwangsi provincča to protect the Japanese flank in northern Indo-China against the Chinese.
Strong Feelings
world is that "those who are not for us are against us."
4
The French actions scarcely argue Vichy leanings fowards the | Democratic cause.
in
"The top of Bizerta is also less) Africa, and Germany was deter- accessible to British bombers than mined to force Weygand to show Tripoll.
his hand and offer "collabora- tion" in Africa,
To cede rights of any kind in It is reported in Washington Moreover, the supine way Bizerta, Bays Wareing, would The Vichy Cabinet will. on that this is being done by Vichy which the French have handed mean opening 'Tunisia to the Monday, concludes Wareing, real- at German insistence. Additional Indo-China to-the Japanese as Germans, and in affect extendingly be once again discussing who indications of an approaching gift has evoked considerable dis- the field of action of Hommel's will win the war. Admiral Dar- diplomatic break are the strong gust in Washington, especially troops from Libya into French lan is convinced the Germans feelings among some high and after the French insisterice that North Africa.
are bound to do so, but Huntziger Influential officials in Washington honour in Syria could only be
is believed to hold the opposite that the only realistic atti-saved by fighting the "British.
opinion. Marshal Petain Is un- tude in the Nazi threatened Reuter.
decided and General views are probably same as Huntziger's.
PREVARICATION
AND DISTORTION BY VICHY
THE THREÄT TO DAKAR occupied ɑ prominent »place in London-press · comment yesterday.
The Times,”-in a leader, said "there seems no limits to the prevarication and dis- tortion of facts to which Vichy is willing to descend in pursuit of a policy of collabora- tion with Hitlerite Germany.
The moment has now almost arrived when Vichy has to de- cide once and for all between friendship
United with the States and that of Germany," adds Wareing.
Weygand's much the
“Complete Calm”
Discussions. between the Vichy Ministers which have followed closely upon each other since Saturday were continued yester- day morning stated the ~~ Vichy News Agency last night.
THAILAND DELEGATION
;
IN SAIGON
The Thailand dele-
gation to the: Bound- ary Commission
or- rived yesterday in Saigon from Bangkok. "It is understood that meetings will begin very soon and "are likely to -include #economic discus-
sions." Reuter.
PIPELINE
ACROSS
AMERICA
...Bizerta Issue
Arguing that Bizerta is the most likely point on which Vichy would yield, because of the more direct American interest in the preserva- tion of French sovereignty over the Atlantic ports, Wareing asserts They included an interview yesąj that from quarters close to Fres!-terday between General Huntziger, dent Roosevelt a hint had already Minister for War, and General been given that the United States Weygand, Marshal Petain's Dele-A joint plan for the might find it essential to prevent gate-General in North Africa, Germany from using Dakar.
The cession of Casablanca would also imply a degree Franco -
collaboration German which might cause the United impression of a wide-scale consul-Harold Ickes, Petroleum States to withdraw recognition tation, of which the Cabinet Coun- Defence Administrator, by of Vichy, and confer it on the] cil meeting expected this after. Free 'French- administration.. noon would appear to be the 11 large oil companies
Dentz Incident
6f
Other ministerial talks were go- Construction of 1,820 miles ing on at the same time.
of oil pipeline system has The Vichy News Agency stated: been submitted to Mr. "These discussions have given the
crowning point. They have been. conducted in
an atmosphere of yesterday in New York.... comp:ete calm presaging/no" crisis. Vichy announced the dispatch No sign of nervousness has been The system would be capable of against the internment of Gener- of protest to Great Britain perceptible."
delivering quarter million bar- rels of oil daily into the New no such Note had been received shal Petals mad Adinirali Darlan he plans call for an imme- al Dentz and other officers, ¿Buti In support of this, the Agency York area from the south-west.
in London up-to Saturday.
The Dentz'¡¡nèident is only mirior aspect of the renewed crisis which descended on Vichy and made it necessary to:/recall
"A thick veil is held over what is going on in French North and Northwest Africa, but Great Bri- tain and the United States must be prepared at any time to find themselves confronted with German infiltration on the Syrian model, involving the use of Dakar and other bases against British and Ameri-selves does not matter very can shipping in the South Atlantic.•
mentions the attendance of Mar-
and other Ministers at theatrical diate start and completion within and operatic performances,
nine months, and the formal agreement would become effective No Statements as soon as Mr, Ickes approves the, plan and the President proclaims Well-informed circles were re-the line necessary for national ported yesterday as stating the defence... Yew that any announcement, fof foreign policy in the immediate an important decision concerning
future is out of the question.
from the President would clear. A proclamation to this effect
jointy-owned $80,000,000 No the way for the treation of tional Defence Pipeline® Inc." the financing of which le boing |searranged through private place-
ment of five year notes.
General Weygand from North have any meaning. Whether they are really deceiving them
greatly. What is important is that Great Britain and the Unit The Agency also stated: "Con- ed States should not allow them trary to certain allusions in the The hasty exit, of the Ger-pointed out that not only had selves. to be deceived- or con- Paris Press, there would appear to mans-and Italians as soon as the Vichy consented to the Japanese nased. Allled forces crossed the Syrian seizure of bases in French Indo-
have been no personal questions border was made the basis for China, but also offered no reVichy la not France, and involved, the tails being directed does not represent the French to effective understanding be- disingenuous protests by Vichy sistance when the Germany and who, calmly ignoring
nation, but so fong (as it cons tween all members of the Gov-Field surveying by aerial photo- all that Italian forces used the facilities
trols & great part of the French ernment who gave their views on graphy is already under way, and argu-in Syria to operate against the
Empire and the "French" fleet, the many problems approached. ed that since the Germans and British.
this will ensure the start of the Italians had already gone,
we must be prepared for any, Reuter,
initial project with the minimura was no longer any
betrayal.” for nothing of complacency " with reason
of delay. Reuter. the British to do anything about which they tolerated Axis en- The Daily Express," in a “Gurrent Matters”. it..
croachment, but plumed them-leading "article, asks what will be an orga The same disingenuous at selves with the determination the United States; doi over the General Weygand, who has been titude stamps their reply to with which they resisted the threat to Dakar, adding that Pre- having talics. With "Admiralter of Agriculture. the American demand for clari- British invasion. This they de-sident Roosevelt may decide to Darlan and Marshal Fetain in The rest of the meeting," said scribe as aggression, glossing over wait for the point to develop If he Vichy left for Algiers yesterday the Radio announcement, was fication or their attitude the defence of their Empire.
the Japanese action in Indo-China does he will bear in mind the afternoon, according to Lyons devoted to current matters." Vichy Reply
as in no way detracting from Norway 18 months ago. Accord-During the afternoon, he nt-
lesson that Britain learned (from "Radio, why French rights.
“Not Present
had happened previously,
there Vichy, replying, said there was
for
Mr. Sumner Welles expressed doubts" of!!their determination: to defend-points which possession of time or use, by lie, Axle payers would
Ahreaten American
Words Without
Meaning
“To a people capable of this way, Word
|ing to tradition we waited for tended the Cabinet Council meet-
Germany to strike first, but Gering, with Marshal Potain presid- A Vichy message states that many invaded in such wholesale ing; "at which a report on the General Weygand did not attend fashion that she could not be prospect of this season's harvest yesterday afternoon's ... ... Cabinet. argu- dislodged on oven seriously at- and the position regarding meat meeting. He left for Algiers be- d to facked! Reuter?-102 suppliest was inade by the Minit>(fore it started; — Reuter, A SIL SARAPORLO} 9/14308 Tábaizung ndalo
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