Evening star., 1941-05-08
Plight of France Offers Hitler
Hope for Its Final Conquest
Tightening of Rule and Food Shortage
Lead to Expectation Of Swift Action

Lie TWO, moreover, IldU UIlelT spies
and agents throughout the whole
of the French empire in Africa
But they had not sent down mill
tary units.
Since February 6 the Germans
have arrived daily and steadily, ac-
cording to trustworthy quarters.
There is no key town with fewer
than 200 German officers and men.
They are not allowed to walk in
the streets in uniforms. They have
been given whole apartment houses
or hotels for their lodging. I have
checked the names of their dwell
ing places in cities as far apart as
Casablanca, Oran, Marraketch and
Dakar.
This German infltration comes
at a moment when two things are
likely to have a very important
effect on French officers in Africa.
The Germans have got into the
DeuXieme Bureau. the famous Sc
cret service of the French Army.
AS a result the Germans know ex-
actly what the French do and do
not know, and every French officer
is aware that what he does and re-
ports is known to the Germans, so
that he can be called up for arrest
at any hour merely for doing his
duty in an intelligent or capable
way.
Nothing is so likely to undermine
the morale of French officers who,
while carrying out the orders of
Vichy, have been waiting. neverthe-
less, for the time when Gen. Wey-
gand would fight once more on the
British side. This is what they have
hoped for when they have gone to
Morocco as reserve officers or when
they have enlisted in answer to
advertisements in Vichy or when
they have flown planes to Gen.
Weygand instead Of flying on to
British lines.
Similarly morale will be flattened
by the success OF the Germans in
Cyrenaica and in the Balkans.
Nothing can save French Africa or
bring it in on the British side short
of serious German reverses or an
immediate entry of America into
the war. The French are impressed
with German victories.
Control frightened.
Knowing this. the Germans have
suddenly frightened the control of
their secret police in the unoccu-
pied zone. In Marseilles in the last
10 days the Germans have started
herding Frenchmen together on the
sidewalks, putting them in trucks
and taking them to concentration
camps by the hundreds. There pa
pers are inspected carefully. A man
whose political and military record
shows that the Germans have noth-
ing to fear from him is quickly re-
leased. Others are held three or
four days. Others are taken to
concentration camps. Others are
shot.
simultaneously in Vichy the Ger.
mans have started a campaign to
round up Frenchmen and foreign
ers they have been unable to locate
heretofore, according to a reliable
informant recently escaped from
Vichy through the underground.
Important French police officials
are called in, given a list Of 10
names, told to have them or their
bodies within a given time or be
responsible with their own lives. A
French police inspector found that
an important anti-Nazi German on
his list had committed suicide. He
dug up the body and took 1t to the
Germans before they would be sat
isfied.
These signs that Hitler's hour
approaches for swift action to COM
plete the conquest comes when the
French food shortage is becoming
acute, so that the Germans can
scarcely expect to bleed the French
Of much more In the next four
month period.
Acute Food Problem.
Trustworthy figures will suffice on
wheat, meat, sugar and fats. he
1910 wheat crop was under 40,000,-
900 Quintals, as against 100000
for 1899 and against normal
French needs Of 100000. Less
has been sowed for this years crop
than for 1910, fertilizers are lack
ing, there is no gasoline for tractors,
binders and the like; livestock has
been requisitioned, and there is a
complete absence of such things as
binder cord, so that wheat cannot
be shocked as usual.
In 1910 France had $500, 900 head
of cattle. The Germans have taken
more than half, and the rest have
had virtually no fodder. The 1910
sugar crop stands at 100000 tons,
as against 950,000 for 1899, with
current prospects worse.
Fats come from Africa, but the
Germans take virtually all of them,
and the French mistakenly sowed
oily seeds, counting on the Germans
granting them some importations
from Africa. Actually the Ger
mans are In every southern French
port, and they confscate virtually
all foodstufis and fats coming from
Africa.
tCopyrisht. 1p41. chicaeo Daily News, INC.