Evening star., 1940-06-26
American Embassy
In France Moves
To Bedaux Chateau
Temporary Offices Set
Up Where Windsors
Were Married
BY ROY PORTER.

BY ROY PORTER,
Associated Press Foreign correspondent.
MONTS, France, June 26.-(by
airplane courier to Berlin) Tempo
rary Offices of the American EN-
bassy In France have been Sc. up
here In the chateau of Charles e.
Bedaux, where the Duke and Ouch
ess of Windsor were married.
The stan consists Of three men
First Secretary Hugh S. Fullerton,
Third Secretary Ernest Mayer and
Trade Commissioner Leigh Hunt.
The chateau is not far from Tours,
which the French government Sc
lected as its first temporary capi-
tai after departing from Paris.
Scene Of Wedding.
It was in this building-the
Chateau de Cande-that the former
King Edward VIII Of England and
American born Wallis Warfield
Simpson were married June 3, 1887,
less than six months after he abdi-
Gated. The owner Is an American
efficiency expert who was Windsor's
close friend in his exile and Coop
Grated in plans for a tour of the
United States which later were
abandoned.
Assistant Military Attache Robert
Schow and Air Attache Jack Ster-
ling accompanied the French gov
ernment to Bordeaux when 1t left
Tours for that city 10 days ago.
In Chateau de Cande, the Amer
tcan diplomats said, they had been
troubled very little by the fighting
around them.
The high spot of their experience
came when the French, retiring,
blew up a nearby powder factory
The gigantic explosion shook the
windows of the chateau.
Several German officers appeared
at the gates of the chateau, but
when they saw the large American
flag they excused themselves.
Exchange Telegraph, British
news agency, reported recently
that United States Ambassador
William c. Bullitt had gone to
Bordeaux with the French gov
ernment, but there has been no
direct news from France con-
corning his whereabouts
In the war sectors south and west
of Paris German activity is two
fold:
First, they are pouring thousands
of troops into the area between
here and Bordeaux and, second.
they are trying to bring back normal
civilian life In the occupied area.
All along the highways from Paris
to Tours long lines of German Army
conveys moved rapidly in forma-
ton.
Evidences of the hasty retreat
OF French troops were being re-
moved. In many villages German
soldiers were sweeping the streets
and piling abandoned French he'll
NETS, rifles and other equipment
in heaps along the sidewalks.
Twenty trains of French war ma
terial stood motionless on railroad
tracks leading into the communi-
cation center at Orleans. The
freight included tanks, airplane mo-
tors, planes, artillery caissons, A
few guns and large stocks of cloth
ing.
Abandoned armored cars, piles Of
boxed ammunition, machine guns
and rifles lined the highways.
A majority OF the bridges along
the Loire River are still standing.
but along the Cher River they were
mostly blown up. OF the three
bridges over the Loire at Orleans
one was destroyed.
Warning Against PilIaxing.
Several blocks of Orleans had
been bombed and as I passed
through thin wisps of smoke were
still filtering skyward.
German signs on the doors of
countless shops warned:
"Pillaging will be punished. Be-
ware!"
Bakeries were open and munich
pal services were functioning to a
limited extent. Many refugees in
the city we're mostly. making their
way northw:rd-back to their
homes.
Tours was about in the same con-
dition. A German labor corps was
clearing away the ruins OF bombed
buildings in the center of the city,
including the old post ONCE where
the Associated Press had temporary
headquarters before the exodus With
the fleeing French government.
Prisoner Column 9 Miles.
The Germans took thousands of
French prisoners in the Orleans
Tours region. I passed one column
marching four abreast which ex-
tended 8 miles. A military expert
with me estimated it was made up
Of between $4,000 and $4,000 prison.
ers.
We passed five Or six prison
camps. French prisoners hanging
over the walls shouted greetings
when they saw the American flag
on our car.
At Orleans, number of French
trucks were being driven in German
lines by French soldiers still in uni
form. A German oficer told me:
IF the French can find civilian
clothes and get out Of their lni-
forms, they are free to go back to
their jobs in shops and on <arms."