Evening star., 1940-10-28
Personal Message
From Roosevelt Is
Received by Petain
Text Not Revealed;
LovoI Named Vichy's
Foreign Minister
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
VIcHY, France, Oct. 28.-A for
eign ministry spokesman said today
Marshal Philippe Petain, Frances
chief of state, had received from
President Roosevelt a personal
message" which could be disclosed
only by Petain because of the
privacy of its character"
The spokesman said the foreign
ministry had been informed only
orally of the arrival of the message.
Diplomatic sources here believed
President Roosevelt's note concerned
the current negotiations between
Petain and Adolf Hitler.
The note was said to have been
delivered to Ambassador Castor
Henry Haye in Washington and to
Petain directly by the United States
charge d'affaires, H. Freeman Mat
thews, last Saturday morning.
Laval New Foreign Minister.
Vice Premier Pierre Laval was
named foreign minister today to
succeed Paul Baudouin, who became
secretary of state attached to the
presidency Of the council.
Announcement of the shake-up
came in a government communiqus
issued after an urgently-called cab
met session. which M. Laval left
for a trip to Paris for important
discussions" 1t did not give the
reason. He will be joined later by
Gen. Charles Huntziger, minister Of
war.
Earlier, the Vice Premier an
nounced he would explain TO the
nation by radio today the French
German conversations which re-
suited in the Vichy governments
agreement to a policy of collabora-
ton with the axis for peace in
Europe"
Curb on Radios.
M. Laval still is charged with the
information and state radio services.
Frenchmen today were forbidden to
listen to British radio broadcasts in
public places under penalty Of con-
fiscation of the radio.
1t was believed NJ. Baudouin's
duties as secretary of state, attached
to the office of Marshal Philippe
Petain, would be similar to the post
of undersecretary of state attached
to the presidency of the council
under former French regimes.
M. Laval himself said. however,
that Baudouin would have the rank
ing of full minister.
News of the italian invasion OF
Greece arrived in Vichy as the cab
met went into session. There was
no official comment, but the typical
reaction was that France no longer
has a direct interest in Balkan
affairs.
Pictured as Highly Pleased.
M. Laval was pictured by his
friends as highly pleased with the
success of his policy. but was re-
ported to hold the opinion that it
was necessary to have not only the
government, but strong public
opinion, back of the new orientation
toward the axis in order to achieve
results.
AS a result, the Petain-Laval gov
eminent began q campaign last night
to make the move popular with the
French people. Government Spokes-
men said the choice now has been
made" and every Frenchman must
accept it.
M. LavalS activity was interpreted
as indicative that Spadework on con-
crete negotiations was we'll under
way and that means of applying the
agreement between Hitler and
Marshal Petain were not far distant.
Zone paragraph censored0
Praise for Germany.
French spokesmen said no critic
ism OF the collaboration policy could
be permitted. Contending there was
no humiliation for France in the
negotiations now in progress. they
held out the prospect Of prosperous
return to normal.
They praised Germanys "unQues-
tionable grandeur" in treating with
a defeated enemy. Strict censorship
has been clamped on the French
press on the subject and editorial
comment has been ordered to con-
form to the line. Trust in Petain
and wait and see"