Saturday,
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
November 16, 1940.
I
Secrets of Petain's
Surrender
AM ablo to-day to add a valuable page to the history of this war. One of the greatest mysteries of the last two months has been to find the true koy to Marshal Petain's amazing con- duct in signing the armistice at Rethendes and handing over to the common enemy the French Empire and its mighty Fleet.
A distinguished French Deputy who has succeeded in escap- ing from France revealed the secret to me yesterday.
By Robert
Henrey
Present were M. Bonnet, M. Leon Blum, and other notable Ministers.
THE point at issue was to decide whether the Chamber wanted ing he would vote with the majority.
to give in or not. Blum made a non-committal speech say.
THE scene takes place at Bordeaux on Sunday, June 16, an THE
hour after M. Reynaud-under pressure--had resigned.
- Bonnet glared at his colleagues, urging capitulation. This Marshal Petain, succeeding to the head of the Government, had just received, through the medium of our Ambassador, Sir meeting of Parliament and Senate was unofficial because Herriot, Ronald Campbell, Mr. Winston Churchill's offer to conclude "locking himself up in an hotel bedroom, refused to appear. But solemn act of union with France" which would give overy French- it led the way to the armistice of June 22. man citizenship of Britain and make overý Briton a citizen of France,
The Marshal, document in hand, paced up and down the room speaking to two or three of his Government colleagues.
After a moment he turned and said grußly, "I will not accept this offer of Churchill's after the way I was treated by Great Britain in March, 1918." "
There was a hush. Somebody asked him to explain.
DETAIN cleared his throat and added, "You will remember
that until that date I was commander of the Armies of the.
PETAL
Y friend was perhaps the last man now in England to have
Molen With He found him rabidly anti-British His wife had contributed in recent years to this feeling.
She was notably pro-German. Peinin fell in love with her before the last war. Her father; a notable soldier, refused to allow Petain, then a young captain, to marry her.
Her husband was killed in 1917. After a few years of widowhood she married Petain, who was by then a Marshal.
LLOYD GEORGE gave an almost dramatic confirmation
North and North-East. Then came the critical German offen- MR. Putain's bitterness when I gave him these facts.
sive on March 21, and the way to Paris lay open.
"Mr. Lloyd George and M. Clemenceau decided to appoint a Generalissimo. My name was passed over in favour of Foch, mostly owing to British exigencies.
"I have not forgotten that."
Tof the French Parliament. It took place in the main school. WO days later my friend was summoned to the last meeting
room of the Lycee Anatole France at Bordenux?
Out of 620 Deputies 60 turned up, and out of 300 members of the Upper House there arrived exactly 10. Herriot, the Speaker, was not present. M. Barthe, a questour (a post of which there is no equivalent in this country) took the chair.
"It is quite true," he said, "that Petain's name did come up at Doullens when Clemenceau had decided to appoint a supreme commander."
Mr. Lloyd George said that he was afraid at the time that Clemenceau might favour Petain for this post. It was only after some discussion that the French Premier agreed to the poince in his diary declared that Petair was a defeatist. Mr. appointment of Foch.
That Mr. Lloyd George was right is proven by the fact that
Lloyd George added that personally he had no opinion of Petain's, resolution and resource in an emergency,
From this we can see how deep and bitter Petain's resent- ment must be against the British, whom he feels robbed him of the greatest military post in history.
China's Corridor To The
West
"Corridor to the western ter- dan military leader of Kansu, nicians, road experts and immi- difficult country, but thanks to ritories." That's the new name was instructed to mobilise his grants from other provinces. In the improvements made, its tra- for the 4,300-kilometer Sino- troops, assisted by 100,000 pea. Lanchow alone, the population velling time has been shortened Soviet Highway, which has be- sants, to build the Kansu-Sin- to-day is. 100,000, three times from 24 days to 24 hours. come China's most important kiang stretch of the highway. At that of the pre-highway days. Chinese drivers on the Sino- international artery of trade. the end of the first year of the Whereas it took months to Soviet Highway claim the dis- Following the old imperial rond war, the road was completed and travel between Tihua (Sinki- tinction of being the first to pro- built by the redoubtable Gen. Tso goods started to flow."
ang) and Chungking in the old mote community life. Dormi- Taung-tang (Pacifier of the Sin- At least ten metres wide, the days, the same distance can now tories and clubs klang Rebellion) near the end of Sino-Soviet Highway has room be covered in two weeks.
are provided for them where they have de- the Manchu Dynasty during his enough for two giant trucka Important link of the Sino- cent but inexpensive meals, military campaign, 5-ton trucks running abreast. Although in- Soviet Highway is the 704-kilo- wholesome recreation and proper rumble along all day, carrying comparable to the Indo-China- metre Lanchow-Sian motor road reading material. Additionally, tea and other Chinese exports to Yunnan highway, it can hold Its which was built by. Gen. Feng they are provided with life in- Russia_and_bringing_vital_sup_own_against the Burma Road,-Yu-hsiang, "Christian-General, surance policies, practice aay plies into Free China from the known throughout the world as when he held military sway in ings and receive mechanical USSR. With the exception of an "engineering feat." One ad- the Northwest. The road was training. the Sino-Soviet airline, the Sino- vantage the Sino-Soviet High- reinforced and repaired by 500,- To Soviet Highway is now the way has over the Burma Road 000 refugees during the big fa- coal-burnera and alcohol-gasoline conserve gasoline, char- shortest cut between Chungking is that the North-west is dry, mine of 1929 under the auspices are being extensively used as and Moscow.
fit for traffic at ull seasons. The of the China International Fa- fuel for the motor vehicles on Formed by the Szechwan- distance between Lanchow and mine Relief Commission Shens, Shensi-Kansu and Kan- the Russian border is about the which Dr. J. E. Baker, Ameri-
of this highway. Bu-Sinkiang motor roads, the same as between Chungking and can, Sino-Soviet Highway was still the Burmese boundary: 2,000 executive secretary.
was for many years the non-existent in the first year of kilometres.
Nicknamed "Muddy Road" the Sino-Japanese war. Hun- Together with the Sino-Soviet before the war-the road was dreds of trucks coming from Highway has come prosperity, impassable in rainy seasons--the Russia were stalled in Sinkiang, Whereas the three famines be- Sian-Lanchow highway has been unable to proceed further east, tween
1929 and and pack animals had to lug the brought desolation and ruin to now known as a model road. 1931 had completely resurfaced and is precious cargoes over miles of the Sinkiang-Kansu stretch, the Perched on the Shensi-Kansu desert land to their destination. line is now dotted with truck tableland, 2,500 metres above Gen. Ma Pu-ching, Mohamme depots, new settlements of tech- sea level, the highway traverses
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PELLAGRA
IN ITALY
-No Balanced Diet just returned from Italy I learn FROM a neutral diplomatist. that as a sequel to prevailing malnutrition the disease pellagra has again made an appearance there, says a London correspon- dent.
This was formerly a scourge of the rlec-growing areas and certain other Northern agricultural districts where the peasants lived on pollenta, a dish made from maize, and on little cise. It Was at ond time believed to be. produced by diseased maize, but was later traced to lack of vitamins.
Those affected begin by showing debility and inability to work; in the aler stages of severe cases the brain Is affected. What appears to be lacking in Italy is a balanced diet. There are four meatless days a week, which means that macaroni and pollenta are the staple foods and are too little varied.
Nazi Pilot Gives To Spitfire Fund Five-Mark Donation
A Gormali pilot has given a five-mark note to the Mayor of Chatham's Spitfire Fund.
The pilot, who had been shot down by RAF. fghters over Kent," was being escorted under Farmed guard by train through > Chatham The train' pulled up with the pilot's com- partment opposite the refreshment buttal A Waltress held out her Spli
the pilot,
For collecting and What
who was ma the book was for
from one of the
oblained his wallet
and
pushed a,mote into the box,”
(*)It is subgested that the note should
be auctioned for the fund.
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