Evening star., 1941-05-31
Vichy Reports
New Raids on
Tunisian Port
Italian Freighter
Believed Set Afire
By British Planes
By the Associated Press.

V1CHY, UnOccupled france, May
31.-British planes attacked Sfax,
French Tunisia, for a second time
yesterday, less than "a hours after
Vichy formally protested British
bombing of the port Wednesday,
the French declared today.
Reports also were received here
that the British followed up the Sec
ond attack with third this morn
ing in which the 3.313-ton Italian
freighter Florida II was set afire.
Three British planes bombed an
Italian merchantmen moored in the
bay at am. yesterday. the French
said, adding that the attackers were
met with fire from French land
batteries and pursuit planes.
There was no announcement of
damage on either side, but the
French said the Italian vessel Is
arco was not hit, although eight
bombs fell around her as she lay
moored about miles from the town.
Shortly after the report of the
second attack, Vice Premier Ad-
miral Jean Darlan accused Britain
of "waging a war of piracy against
France.
Directly Challenges Britain.
Directly challenging Britain, he
declared:
In any case, am determined to
carry out my duty. remain
decided more than ever to force re-
spect of Frances right to free use
of her ports and routes Of commu-
nication."
Referring specifically to the at
tacks on Sfax. Admiral Darlan de-
clared there were Italian ships in
the ports of Spain, Portugal and
South America and demanded to
know why no bombs had been
dropped, for instance, on Lisbon and
Valencia.
In fact" he said, there is only
one objective OF these acts of bru-
tality, to eliminate French maritime
power, cut continental France from
its empire and isolate us from the
rest of the world"
He declared 143 French ships had
been captured by the British and
charged that this was proof of Brit
aims piratical means of replacing,
at French expense. her dwindling
merchant tonnage, even if it leads
the French population toward
famine"
Admiral Darlans statement, made
before French editors in German
occupied France. but not publicized
until his return here from Paris this
afternoon, contended British i'm
perialism needs the war to destroy
Europe"
The dispatch telling of yester-
days attack said the British planes
turned of Immediately after the
bombing, and it added, French
naval units and the air force are
assuring the defense of Sfax." 1t
made no specific mention of how
this was being done.
Ship Arrived Day Before.
The announcement said the 5,S15-
ton Isarco had arrived at Sfax only
the day before.
At the same time, it was an
nounced one of the ships officers
on the French phosphate freighter
Rabelais. hit in Wednesdays bomb
ings, had died of his wounds Other
sailors were said to be in hospital.
In their protest on the Wednes-
day bombing, lodged with the United
States State Department for trans
mission to Britain. the French said
there was no justification in inter-
national law for the attack, since
the two Italian merchantmen said
to have been hit that day had been
there less than the time permitted
(72 hours).
The British government had no
basis for attacking belligerent
merchant ship in French port and
even less for attacking the port it
self" the French said.
(The British retorted Vichy had
been warned previously that
Britain could not regard the
French as entitled to the rights
of neutral states and added that
Vichy had been warned partic-
ularly about Axis use of Tunisian
waters.
(They said that if the Rabelais
(See TUNISIA, Page A-4)