Evening star., 1941-05-16

south, and Aleppo. in the north
There also is good one at Tripoli
Lebanon. The Press Association
said it was understood the Germans
/ planned to conduct their principal
operations from the Aleppo base.
British air squadrons are basec
/ at Amman. in Eastern Trans-Jor-
dan, and at Er Ramle. west of Je-
ruSalem Both were established sew.
eral years ago.
Military authorities said the sit
/ uation in Iraq was good, with Basra
and Habbaniyah quiet.
France Reported Warned.
! Well-posted sources said the
British government already had
warned France against even passive
collaboration with Germany.
One authorized source referred to
the extremely pointed and potent
comment by President Roosevelt
yesterday on the tendency that is
being shown by the Vichy govern
ment and his expression of hope
that the French people would not
deliver themselves into the hands
of the Germans.
Marshal Petain is a tired and
weary old man." this informant said,
who has been under constant and
insidious pressure from Germany
and from false French"
What he says does not get us
very far"
This source said the British gov
-rnment had every reason to believe
that French authorities in Syria
were well aware of the Vichy gov
ernment's attitude in regard to the
granting of facilities to the Germans
in Syria.
He added that there was no ten
dency on the part Of the Arab
states to play ball" with Rashid
Ali AL Galaini, the Iraq Premier,
and that Britain appreciates the
loyalty of our Arab friends"
De Gaulle Protests.
Gen. Charles de Gaulle's Free
French headquarters protested in a
statement lin the name of our ma
ton, now gagged and powerless," ;"
against the Vichy regimes policy
of treason" in permitting German
use of Syrian airdromes.
TN allowing Syrian airdromes to
be used by German planes. the alb
oettors of the June capitulation have
just been guilty of a fresh act of
treason" the statement said.
How could Marshal Petain, re-
voking the promise he so recently
made publicly, associate himself
with a move against the allies of
France?
"Frenchmen vino had joined Gen.
de Gaulle in order to continue the
struggle note with deepest sorrow
the sad end of a French military
leader who now is the mere toy of
small group of corspirators who
went over to the enemy
"Infamy by Darlan."
Free French have never bald
that the Vichy government, which
was formed without consulting the
French people. is entitled to speak on
behalf of the nation. They have
always maintained that the action
taken by the Vichy government de-
f1es the wishes of the immense ma
jority of the people.
Faced with this fresh infamy on
the part of Admiral Darlan and his
accomphces, the Free French wish
to state before the whole world that
the Vichy government does not
represent France and that the
French people must not in any way
be involved in that governments
dishonor."
CThe London radio quoted the
Daily Express today to the ef-
feet that the painful possibility
of direct conflict between Britain
and Vichy must be faced" The
broadcast. heard by C. B. S., said
further that the British press
this morning agreed that "a new
and critical phase has been
reached in British relations with
the men of Vichy.D
Little Hope Of Opposition.
Some circles in London, after hear
ing Marshal Petain's brief broad
cast to the French yesterday, ex-
pressed belief that there was little
hope Vichy would provide any fur
ther opposition to Nazi demands.
They said the reported basing of
German planes in Syria constituted
a further French capitulation to the
Nazi conquerors, and the British
government was known to be taking
an extremely serious view of the
situation.
The political correspondent of the
News Chronicle event went 50 far
as to write:
''The general feeling among men,
bers of Parliament is that Foreign
Secretary Anthony Eden's statement
lin Commons yesterday was In ef-
feet declaration of war on the
Vichy government"
There was no official comment