Evening star. [volume], December 25, 1942, Page A-2, Image 2

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Observers in London
See Darlan's Post
Going to Giraud
Official Sources, However,
Are Silent; Keep Close
Watch on Developments
By the AseocUted Press.
LONDON, Dec. 25.->43en. Henri
Honore Giraud, an uncompromising
foe of the Axis, took over “mainte
nance of order” in French North
Africa today, the Algiers radio an
nounced as diplomatic quarters here
watched closely the aftermath of the
assassination of Admiral Jean
Darlan.
The implications of the brief Al
giers radio announcement were not
apparent here, but some observers
felt that leadership in North Africa
naturally would fall to Gen. Giraud
in the present crisis because of his
illustrious military career and the
respect with which he is regarded by
almost all Frenchmen. He has been
acting as commander of the French
armed forces fighting side by side
with the Allies in Tunisia.
Whether Gen. Giraud will succeed
Admiral Darlan in his position as
civil administrator in North Africa
and the important function of co
operating with the Allied forces in
occupation of North Africa could not
be foreseen here on the basis of
terse, censored reports from Algiers.
Opposed by Fighting French.
Certain it was, however, that the
assassination of Admiral Darlan
had removed from the North Af
rican picture the one man against
whom the Fighting French leaders
in London had bitterly objected.
Whether these objections ulti
mately would have been overcome
by the general desire of Frenchmen
to unite all factions for greater
strength is uncertain. It had been
reported recently that the Fighting
French planned to send a commis
sion to North Africa to investigate
the situation there and the possibil
ities of bringing French patriots
together.
Both the Fighting French and
official British sources here main
tained silence on the North African
developments.
There was no immediate reaction
to the assassination from Vichy.
The German radio declared that
“the French traitor, Admiral Dar
lan, had died a death convenient to
the British.”
Admiral Darlan said only yester
day in a statement to the French
press in North Africa that “union—
at once—of all fighting Frenchmen
is absolutely necessary.”
Darlan Statement.
The statement follows in part:
"There is one task lying ahead of us
which is more important than the
rest. We must win the war.
“There are still certain difficulties:
There is still some opposition. Al
though we do not propose to take
brutal measures against those offer
ing resistance, any person that
harms the war effort will be pitiless
ly eliminated.
“All other considerations are of
no importance.
"Effects of the past are slowly dis
appearing. Yesterday we were forced
to wait. Today we are flghting.again.
“In the 15 months when I held
the post of vice prime minister in
the French cabinet nothing of im
portance was handed over to the
Germans.
Sense of Reality.
"Political affairs need a sense of
reality and not sentimental feelings.
When a defeated country stands
alone in the world and when it is at
the mercy of the conqueror the only
weapon is to negotiate!
"The Germans made it impossible
for us to carry out a strong line of
policy. We negotiated, we tried to
save what we could save.
“I realize many Frenchmen fought
the Axis and are still fighting the
enemies of France, each in his own
way.
“It is desirable and I as a good
Frenchman desire, too. that all these
Frenchmen should unite.
"In any case it is desirable that
these fighting Frenchmen do not
oppose each other because we all
have the same aim—to liberate our
selves.
“No one can be our enemy who is
fighting against Germany.
“Union—at once—of ail fighting
Frenchmen is absolutely necessary.
It is of no importance that French
men have rallied round me. Whether
it is I or some one else does not mat
ter. But it is important that such
a union should be affected.”
Bombing of Wake Island
Reported by Japanese
BERLIN (From German Broad
casts), Dec. 25.—Dispatches from
Tokio said today that Japanese
forces occupying Wake Island were
bombed Wednesday night by United
States Flying Fortresses which
came “from the region of Midway.”
(There was no confirmation
from Washington that Wake
Island had been raided.)
/ . . " ]
DARLAN AS VICHY OFFICIAL—Here Admiral Jean Darlan (center) stands with Chief of State
Marshal Petain (left) and Chief of Government Pierre Laval as they reviewed a military parade
in Vichy last September 26. —A. P. Wirephoto.
Shift to Allies Highlighted
Dorian's Mysterious Career
Slain Admiral Seen as 'Arch-Turncoat'
By Some, 'Astute Trader' by Others
By the Associated Press.
An assassin's bullets have put an
abrupt end to the most-discussed
and most-mysterious career of state
craft and international intrigue
that the new World War has pro
duced.
Admiral Jean Darian, the self
appointed “chief of state” in French
North Africa, was shot down as he
entered the commissariat where for
just over a month he has labored
with Allied forces which until bare
weeks ago had considered him as,
at best, a co-worker with their Axis
enemies.
The pistol shots served only to
emphasize the divergence between
those who rated Admiral Darian as
one of the arch-turncoats of all his
tory—a man w’ho served first the
conquerers of his country and then
turned back to his former allies
only when they had captured him—
and others who had rated him as an
astute horse-trader wrho saved what
he might from the wreckage of
France and seized the first oppor
tunity to renew the battle against
the Axis.
Career Was Strange One.
Admiral Darlan's career in itself
was as strange as its end. A sailor,
he began his career as an actual
fighting man in land action lead
ing marine gunners in the first
World War. „
A prodhct of the French naval
tradition, he appeared only as a
seagoing fighter for many years and
was catapaulted into international
politics tm a big scale only by de
, feat.
The son of a family of navy tra
ditions, Admiral Darlan entered the
Ecole Navale at the age of 1R.
On graduation in 1902 he left for
China, where he stayed two years.
Promoted to ensign in 1904. he
was graduated first in his class from
the Ecole de Canonnage (gunnery
school!, and returned to the Far
East.
Promoted to lieutenant in 1912, he
was chosen as an instructor aboard
the Jeanne D’Arc, training ship for
young officers.
January 3, 1913. the Minister of
the Navy gave him official com
mendation for bravery in the fire
which occurred aboard the Jeanne
D’Arc October 29, 1912.
Commanded Marine Unit.
In August, 1914, on the outbreak
of the first World War, he left for
the front in command of a battery of
marine gunners. He served on the
Meuse, then in Alsace in 1915,
Salonica in 1916. Verdun, Cham
pagne and Belgium in 1917, and at
Noyon and again at Verdun in 1918.
He became captain of a corvette
in July, 1918, and in 1920 was pro
moted to the rank of captain of a
frigate.
In 1926 he was promoted to the
rank of captain of a warship and
served under Georges Le.vgues, Min
ister of the Navy, as chef de cabinet.
Later he was in command of the
Jeanne d'Arc and the Edgar Quinet
for two years, training young offi
cers.
Given the rank of rear admiral
in 1929, he again directed the cabi
net militaire of the Minister of the
Navy and also the Ministry of For
eign Affairs.
May 23, 1930, official recognition
DOUBLE TUNISIAN PUNCH AT AXIS—Allied soldiers have
thrown the enemy out of heights dominating Medjez-el-Bab
(top arrow) in the first significant offensive in Tunisia in two
weeks. West of Kattouan (lower arrow) French troops repelled
•nemy attacks. 1 —P. Wirephoto.
was accorded him for exceptional
services at the London Naval Con
ference.
He was named commander of the
first division of the most modern
10.000-ton cruisers shortly there
after.
Took Charge of Fleet.
Promoted to vice admiral in 1932,
Admiral Darlan took command of
the Atlantic fleet October 4. 1932,
and distinguished himself in the
Mediterranean maneuvers in 1935.
In 1936 he was asked by M.
Gasnier-Duparc, Minister of the
Navy, to assume the directorship of
his cabinet militaire. In December
of the same year he became chef
d'etat major general of the navy
and vice president of the Conseil
Superier de la Marine.
In recognition of his services he
was awarded the Grand-Croix
(highest distinction) of the Legion
of Honor December 21, 1937.
Admiral Darlan was made "Ad
miral of France" in supreme com
mand of all French naval forces,
June 6, 1939, only months before the
start of hostilities in World War II.
In that capacity he participated in
formulation of major Allied strategy,
conferring with Prime Minister Win
ston Churchill on the British states
man's notable visit to Paris Novem
ber 3,1939, and making various visits
to London for meetings of the Allied
supreme war council before the fall
of France.
- Vichy-Nazi “Go-Between.”
His apparent turn to German col
laboration was swift after the col
lapse of French land resistance. As
early as October 22. while he served
in Petain cabinets which followed
the French surrender, he was re
ported ready to join Pierre Laval
in accepting German terms and
making war on Britain.
He was a leading conferee in the
French-German negotiations of
December, 1940, and was reported
to have taken a letter from Petain
to Hitler in December of that year.
He acted as go-between for Vichy
France and the Nazis and their
collaborators in Paris, during the
1941 cabinet shuffles.
He became vice premier February
9, 1941, and was named successor
to Marshal Petain a day later. He
headed a new set-up of five cabinet
ministers aranged later that month.
Admiral Darlan was reported to
have been the moving spirit behind
a plan to convoy all French ships
if the British continued their block
ade of France during that period,
but all the time he insisted in pub
lic statements that the French fleet
would not be delivered to Hitler
and that. France alone would defend
the colonies, without German
"help." Reliable advices had him
refusing the Axis North African
bases.
Conversely, in a speech June 10,
1940, the Admiral told the French
people the nation "must cleave to
Germany or perish.”
Chief Negotiator With Japan.
He was chief negotiator for
Prance in the deal with Japan
whereby the latter took over the
joint “protection’’ of French Indo
china which provided a major
springboard for Japan's conquests
in the Indies and South Seas.
Admiral Darlan took military con
trol of North Afrcia into his own
hands when Gen. Maxime Weygand
was ousted from that command
November 20, 1941. Along the same
line, interpreted at the time as a
move to clear the French armed
forces of pro-Allied elements, he re
cast the Army January 9. 1942. re
tiring 42 generals. A month later
he was reported to have Rgreed to
send supplies to Tunis to aid the
Axis in Libya.
Practically, Admiral Darlan had
been in control of all French armed
forces since he became Petain’s
appointed heir. The position was
made official April 17, 1942, and his
assumption of the post was the sig
nal for the recall of United States
Ambassador Leahy.
Admiral Darlan’s antl-Allied ut
terances and actions continued as
late as October, 1942, when he pro
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tested bitterly against British in
vasion of Madagascar.
His turn to an ardent support of
the Allies was even more abrupt
than his shift in the opposite direc
tion.
Captured by Allies.
Caught in North Africa by the
surprise American and British in
vasion. he was captured in Algiers.
He immediately announced ap
proval of the capitulation of Algiers.
On November 11 he ordered
French forces to cease resistance to
the Allies in Algeria and Morocco,
claiming that in so doing he was
carrying out the mandate of Marshal
Petain. He said the aged Chief of
State was a virtual German prisoner
and no longer able to give voice to
his own thoughts.
Admiral Darlan assumed responsi
bility for all French affairs in North
Africa November 13, and assumed
the title of Chief of State for that
territory December 1.
Since the order to cease fire in
Algeria, Admiral Darlan had been
moving progressively further into
the Allied camp in an atmosphere
of opposition from Fighting French
forces and certain elements in
Britain and the United States.
Open opposition from the De
Gaulle Fighting French forces be
came apparent November 17, the
same day that President Roosevelt
made it clear that any arrangement
with him in Africa was "temporary."
Also on that day, well under two
years from the date when he became
the real head of the Vichy FYench
regime as Petain's heir, he lost that
post to Laval. Ten days later, on
November 27, he lost even his French
nationality by decree of the Laval
government.
Admiral Darlan appeared as a fig
ure in world events most prom
inently in the last month of his life,
as the originator of gestures of
peace toward the De Gaulle forces,
j urging unity of all French forces
fighting the Axis and denying any
personal ambitions.
Perhaps the best statement of
Admiral Darlan’s position before
. and immediately after the American
i operations began in North Africa
was given in an exclusive interview
granted by the admiral to Wes Gal
lagher, Associated Press war cor
respondent in North Africa, Decem
ber 17.
Mr. Gallagher asked him this
double question:
“Is it Mr. Darlan’s intention to
hold North Africa in trust for Mar
shal Petain? In other words, is the
imperial council with Mr. Darlan
at its head a permanent govern
ment or does Mr. Darlan plan to
step aside for Marshal Petain when
France is free again?”
To these Admiral Darlan wrote
this answer:
"I consider the high commis
sioner’s part is to represent French
interests as long as France is un
able to express freely her opinion—
that is to say, to give herself the
government she chooses.”
In conclusion, he was asked
“would Mr. Darlan liketgo give any
explanation of his change of views
as expressed a few weeks ago con
trasting with his present position on
the side of the Allies?”
He replied:
“The aim of all that I did while in
the French cabinet was to keep
within due limits the power Ger
many had gained over France and to
save all that could be saved in my
unfortunate country and its empire.
No Frenchman worth that name,
and I, in the first place, could will
ingly submit to German oppression.
"As long as the Allied nations
were not ready to help France in
resuming the struggle I tried, sad
and resigned, to prevent France
from dying under the German heel.
“When the Allied forces landed in
North Africa I carried on the orders
I had received to keep France’s
word, which latter had prevented for
28 months Axis forces from coming
to French Africa.
“I gave the cease-fighting order
as soon as possible. Being disavowed
by Vichy, I committed myself to the
American military authorities so
that I should not cause more French
and Allied blood to be shed. Then,
when Germany broke the armistice,
I considered I could once more act
freely.”
French Arms Mission
Arrives to Advise U. S.
On Needs in Africa
Gen. Bethouart Heads
Officers Who Will Aid
In Expediting Supplies
By the Associated Press.
Gen. Emile Bethouart, French
hero of two wars, arrived here yes
terday as head of a military supply
mission for the French forces in
North Africa.
His primary function, it was un
derstood, will be to advise War De
partment officials on the needs of
the French African troops fighting
with the Allies and the types of
euipment they have been trained to
use.
Official announcements did not
specify the exact status of the mis
sion or the machinery by which its
supplies would be furnished. Since
the mission came here under the
auspices of the War Department,
however, it was believed that its
supplies would be allocated by the
assignment to the French forces of
Army-owned euipment, rather than
through lease-lend. Thus the re
ception of the mission apparently
involved no political recognition of
its principals, and no announcement
was made by the State Department.
Georges-Picot Is Aide.
Accompanied by several French
officers and by Brig. Gen. Shepler
W. Fitzgerald, commander of United
States forces in Central Africa, Gen.
Bethouart arrived by plane at Bollitig
Field and was met by Lt. Gen.
Joseph T. McNarney, Army deputy
chief of staff.
As liaison officer for this mission,,
Gen. Bethouart has selected Guil
laume Georges-Picot, who was
counselor of the French Embassy
here from early In 1941 until rela
tions with the Vichy government
were severed following the Amer
ican landings in North Africa. Many
of the embassy staff, including Am
bassador Gaston Henry-Haye, were
interned at that time but Georges
Picot was among those permitted
to remain in Washington because of
their known sympathy for the
Allied cause.
Gen. Bethouart himself, said the
War Department in announcing his
arrival, used his position as head of
the French Armistice Commission
at Casablanca to resist Axis en
croachments in Morocco and "his
rympathy for the cause of the
United States and Britain has been
consistent and well known."
Headed Commission Year.
He headed the Armistice Com
mission for more than a year, and
since the American troops landed
in North Africa has been liaison
officer at Allied headquarters for
Gen. Henri Honore Giraud, whose
assistance contributed materially
to the success of the landings.
Gen. Giraud, now c ommanding
French soldiers fighting with the
Allied forces in Tunisia, designated
Gen Bethouart to head the mission
in this country to co-ordinate the
movement of equipment and sup
plies.
Now 53. Gen. Bethouart is a grad
uate of Saint-Cyr, who served with
distinction in the First World War,
when he was wounded, and won the
decoration of a Chevalier de Maitre
; d'Honneur for heroism. Between
the two wan be served in various
assignments with troops and the
French general staff, including spe
cial duties in Finland and Norway,
| and a tour as military attache to
Yugoslavia.
In April, 1940, he took a division
of chasseurs to Normay, participat
; ing in action at Namsos and com
manding the Franco-Polish expedi
tion to Narvik. Troops under his
command captured Narvik May 28
and his heroism in the three-week
campaign won him the rank of com
mander of the Legion d'Honneur.
After the withdrawal of Allied
troops from Narvik, he was assigned
to a subdivision command at Rabaut,
Morocco. Later he was president of
the French Armistice Commission,
and last January 25 he took com
mand of the Casablanca Division.
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FRENCH GENERAL WELCOMED—Gen. Emile Bethouart (left),
French hero of two wars, welcomed by Lt. Gen. Joseph T. Mc
Narney, deputy chief of staff of the United States Army, on his 1
arrival yesterday. Gen. Bethouart is head of a military supply
mission for the French forces in North Africa. —A. P. Photo.
Weather Report
(Furnished by the United States Weather Bureau.)
District of Columbia—Occasional light r&in, not quite so cold tonight.
Maryland and Virginia—Occasional light rain, not quite so cold
tonight.
River Report.
Potomac and Shenandoah clear at Har
pers Ferry, Potomac clear at Great Falls.
Tide Tables.
(Furnished by United States Coast and
Geodetic Survey.)
Today. Tomorrow.
High __10:43 a.m. 1122 a m.
Low _ 5:21 a.m. 5:54 a m.
High _70:57 p.m. 11:36 p.m.
Low _ _ 6:10 p.m, 5:53 p.m.
The Sun and Moon.
Rises. Sets.
Sun, today _ 8:25 6:41
Sun. tomorrow _ 8:25 5:41
Moon, today 8:47 p.m 10.10 a.m.
Automobile lights must be turned on one
half hour after sunset.
Precipitation.
Monthly precipitation in Inches in the
Capital (current month to date):
Month. 1942. Avg. Record.
January _ 2.47 3.55 7.83 ’37
February _£.03 3.27 6.84 *84
March _5.96 3.75 8.84 *91
April _ 0.54 3.27 9 13 ’89
May __ 3.93 3.70 10.69 *89
June _ 5.35 4.13 10.94 ’00
July _ 5.40 4 71 10 03 *90
August _ 9.49 4 01 14 41 '29
September _ 2.67 3.24 17 45 ’34
October _8.33 £ 84 8 81 '37
November _ 2.10 2.37 8.69 ’89
December __ 1.78 3.32 7 56 ’01
Comment
<Continued Prom First Page t
ment officials on supply problems of
French African troops. Gen, Be
thouart, who has been liaison officer
at Allied headquarters for Gen.
Giraud, was among the French lead
ers credited with aiding the Ameri
cans and British in the North Afri
can invasion.
Regardless of who might emerge
as the new high commissioner for j
civil administrator in French Africa,
no basic change in American policy
there was expected.
During the weeks of controversy
over Admiral Darlan's status after
he cast his lot with the Allies last;
month, both President Roosevelt and :
Secretary of State Hull repeatedly
made clear that the situation in
French Africa was primarily a mili- I
tary situation and that it would be
up to the people of a liberated
Prance to decide, after victory, what
leaders and what form of govern
ment they desired.
Free French Coup Year Ago.
An ironic feature of the sudden
development in North Africa was
that it was exactly one year ago
that another sudden development on
French territory startled Washing
ton in the midst of the Christmas
holidays. This was the Chrismas
eve coup of a Free French naval
force which on December 24, 1941,
seized the islands of St. Pierre and
Miquelon, off the coast of New
foundland, which until then had
been under control of Vichy.
Not since the outbreak of the
war ended the interventionist-iso
lationist debate has any one subject
been fanned into as intense a flame
as the Vichy-Darlan question.
The Darlan situation itself was
fed by the long-simmering ire of
many political leaders Imd well-!
known writers over the State De-1
——.—1^—■ ■ ■■ ■
partment’a placid attitude toward
Vichy—an attitude which soma
commentators said was vindicated
in the North African coup.
But when the famed pro-Nazi and
anti-British admiral himself wal
won over to the Allied cause bi
American persuasion, and the faqj
that he was to walk side by sid>
with the Americans was announced
the storm really broke.
Vandenberg Backed Britain.
At various times, members of Corj
gress arose to state their opinicA
and at least one—Senator Vande.t!
berg, Republican, of Michigan-;
spoke out openly in favor of backing
the decision of the military officials
in charge of the North African ven
ture, even if it meant playing along
with Admiral Darlan.
Anti-Darlan spokesmen contended
that by lining up with the former
Axis collaborationist. American lead
ers would undermine the spirit of
the “underground" in occupied coun
tries and arouse distrust on the part
of some of our Allies.
Those who took the opposite view
held that the alignment with the
French admiral gained time and
saved lives in the North African in
vasion, and thus was Justifiable.
They contended military chieftains
on the spot were qualified to judge
the wisdom of the move and should
not be “hampered" by internal strife
over the case.
Tire storm was still raging when
the assassin’s bullets ended Admiral
Darlan’s life.
Eisenhower Expresses
Confidence in Victory
By the Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, Dec. 25.—Lt. Gen.
Dwight D. Eisenhower messaged
Yuletide greetings of admiration
and confidence yesterday to all
members of the Allied forces in
North Africa.
Hus message:
“I extend Christmas and New
Year greetings to all members of
the Allied force in North Africa.
My admiration ftm your accomplish
ments of past weeks is equaled only
by my complete confidence that you
will meet every test of the future
with the same fortitude and deter
mination.
“My profound thanks and best
wishes go to all ranks in the ground
troops, Navy, airforces, Nurses Corps
and all civilian services associated
with the Allied forces.
"Good luck to every one of you.”
WPB sTeTCut in Use
Of Hardwood Lumber
By the Associated Pres*.
The War Production Board esti
mated yesterday that consumption
of hardwood lumber will decline
from about 6,000.000.000 feet In 1942
to 5.670,000.000 feet in 1943.
This estimate was based on mili
tary, construction, factory and box
ing needs.
At the same time, an advisory
committee estimated that hardwood
production at present is at least
10 per cent below a year ago and
in some regions has declined 20 to
30 per cent.
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