Evening star., 1941-05-09
Vichy Dickers

lie pTOlOnSeQ QlplOWdtlC WranSle
between Vichy and Berlin which has
dragged on interminably seems about
to end in some form of Franco Ger
man understanding. Just what it
will be can only be surmised. No
official communiqueS have been
issued, while current press dispatches
are inconclusive and sometimes con-
Trajectory. Still, it is rather obvious
that Admiral Darlan, Vice Premier
under Marshal Petain, has come to
preliminary arrangement with the
German Spokesmen in Paris, where
extended conversations have recently
taken place.
In Vichy, the concessions offered
by the Germans have been semi
officially disclosed. For France, they
are highly important. First, bound
ary regulations between German
occupied and unoccupied France are
to be relaxed in various ways, in
cluding freer travel and postal ex-
change, more liberal business and
financial arrangements, and the
passage of foodstuffs now desperately
needed. A second major concession
reported is twenty five per cent cut
in the crushing cost imposed on
France for the German army of occu-
patton, which is $2,OOO0OO per day.
There is also talk of liberating 100000
young French farmers from the o.
100000 war prisoners held as virtual
hostages in German detention camps.
If these concessions have actually
been agreed upon, the Vichy govern
ment must have made important
pledges in return. However, they
have not been revealed except, by
implication, on the economic side.
1t has long been known that French
industry, even in unoccupied France,
was being increasingly geared to Ger
man industry and was directly serv-
ing German war requirements. This
economic collaboration is to be in
tensified. For instance, it is re-
ported that the French government
is planning large ship building pro-
gram, specializing on fast freighters,
refrigerator ships, and oil tankers.
The ostensible reason given is
present shortage in these classes of
merchant shipping. But indirectly
it would certainly aid Germany.
Speculation naturally centers upon
political and strategic concessions
which Vichy may have promised or
be contemplating. All the familiar
rumors regarding French North AZ
rica, Syria, the French navy, and the
use of railways and ports in unoccu-
pied France for German troops, are
in the news once more. 1t is note
worthy that London is extremely
pessimistic, fearing that the Vichy
government Is about to capitulate to
German demands on any or all of
these points. On the other hand,
there is the scathing editorial in
Mussolini's newspaper, Popolo dItal-
ia, accusing Vichy of bad faith in
its negotiations with Germany and
urging that all France be taken over
by guardian" This may be merely
peevish italian dig or it may be a
bit of squeeze-play dictated from
Berlin to soften" such resistance at
Vichy as still remains.
Another interesting problem con-
Germs the respective prospects of
Admiral Darlan and Pierre Laval.
Will Berlin insist on the return of
Laval, its obvious tool, to power at
Vichy, or has Darlan so fully met
Berlin's demands that the rather
risky maneuver of forcing Laval upon
Marshal Petain need not be tried?
Here again, one can only speculate.
The significant point in this COM
plex and obscure situation is that,
after months of virtual deadlock,
things are definitely moving in the
direction of an understanding be-
tween Vichy and Berlin. How fast
and how far the evolution will pro-
ceed, events will soon show.