Evening star., 1941-08-19
|vichy Held Unwilling
To Sign Formal
| Nazi Alliance
Weysond Reported Told
EorIy North African
Moves Are Unlikely
By DAVID M. NICHOL,

DIV HI IVA sNASAAOS
Foreign Correspondent OF The star ana
Chicaso Daily News.
BERN, Aug. ia series Of we'll
founded reports reaching here In
the week since Marshal Henri
Philippe Petain's governmental
shake-up makes it possible to dis
close more accurately some OF the
details of the Vichy crisis.
They provide important new light
on several aspects of the confused
and tragic picture Of defeated
France. Among them are:
/. That despite reports originating
outside France, Gen. Maxine Wey-
gand apparently returned to his
pro consular post in North Africa
happy in the assurance that no new
moves in favor Of Germany were
planned, at least for the present,
in that area, although he had hur-
ried to Vichy in some alarm.
2. That accounts Of Vichy's readi-
ness to sing a formal alliance with
the Nazis against Russia were COM
| pletely without foundation.
8. That in spite Of Vice Premier
Jean Darlan's desire, there has been
no actual increase in collaboration
with the Axis since the Syrian
affair, which, in turn, might have
been handled differently had the
Free French De Gaullists not taken
part in the campaign.
Answer to Public.
4. That the cabinet shakeup, the
increased police power and the
strongly Fascist favored DEGREES
which followed, as much as any,
thing else, were Marshal Petain's
answer to the unconcesled public
dislike for Admiral Darlan and tc
the marshals own slipping pop.
ularity, about which he is exceed.
ingly sensitive.
5. That due partly to the stubborn
Russian resistance and partly to tn.
determination of the United State!
to oppose Hitler, the French public
and ofiicials alike, for the first tim,
since their own defeat. are beginnini
to doubt in considerable numbers tn,
| ultimate NaZl Victory.
8. That just recently there hav,
been indications-press notices, fo
example. of the work OF the Amer
lean Red Cross after a long ban OF
favorable items-of an effort II
better United States relations. Thl
prospect of q formal rupture. excep
on the initiative of Washington, /.
most remote" these accounts say
Nazis' Pressure Is Key.
How long such picture vii
persist depends entirely on tn.
extent of pressure the Nazis are able
to exert. France still is pitifully
weak in manpower, morale and re.
sources and must face two powerful
weapons. One is the threat o,
complete occupation and the Other
is the treatment Of the 1.50o ,00t
prisoners who represent virtually
every French family.
For the moment, the threat o
occupation is the less potent o
! these. Nazi troops are exceedingl,
busy elsewhere and the best units IL
occupied France have recently beer
withdrawn, replaced by reserves
Whether q Russian campaign ex
tending into the winter and i'm
mobilizing the blitz would make i
possible for the Nazis to turn again
to the west cannot, Of course, b.
known. La Suisse Of Geneva toda,
quotes French experts as believing
that the Axis will undertake q 80
luton" Of its Mediterranean an.
African problems this autumn.
Prisoner Question More Real.
The prisoner question is NOR
real. Correctly or incorrectly, mos
Frenchmen believe the Nals ar
perfectly capable OF starving tn
captured fathers, sons and uncle
should the homefolk get out @
hand. That impression has bee
assiduously cultivated.
tAn Associated Press dispatch
from Chalons-Sur-Marne, Ger
man-occupied France, today said
the Nazis had released from Ger
man prison camps the last Of the
French ofhcers who were veter-
ans of the first great war. The
trainloads were greeted by French
ofi1cials there.)
Even in the face of it, howeve
there is growing restlessness abou
the Vichy government and the polio
of collaboration. So far, it seen
without leadership. There have bee
sporadic, unconnected disturbance
In the unoccupied area. In the oe
cupied zone there has been suficier
rioting and sabotage so that tn
German military commander re
Gently issued q most drastic orde
! threatening to hold the entire pop
ulation" responsible.
copyrisht, 1941, by Chicago Daily New