Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-08
Viohy Is Reported
Delaying Drive on
De GauIIe Colonies
Gen Weyeond Returns to
Algeria After Week
In Vichy Meetings
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
VICHY, June THE Petain gov.
eminent was reported today to have
decided not to take any action at
present against the colonies held by
the Free French forces of Gen.
Charles de Gaulle in Africa.
This decision was reported as Gen.
Maxine Weygand, commander in
chief of French forces III Africa,
returned to Algeria after a week in
Vichy taking part in cabinet meet
ingS and other important discus
Sions. 1t was reported some diff
ficultv might have arisen in these
conferences over whether Gen, Wey-
gandS forces should be pitted
against the De Gaulle-held colonies
now.
Conditions were said to have been
considered unfavorable for such &C
ton at the moment.
Clash in Cabinet Doubted.
Thus. apparently period had
been put to speculation which arose
three weeks ago when the official
information bureau declared the
time had come to regain the African
territories seized by. the De Gaull-
lists
It was doubted here that there
was any clash in the cabinet SEES
sions over the question Of collabo-
ration with the Axis. Gen. Wey-
gand always has insisted on his
personal loyalty to Chief of State
Petain. who has announced he per-
sonally ordered negotiations lead
ing to the agreement to work With
Germany.
The French semi Officially re-
iterated denials that there we're
any German troops in Syria, They
blamed new. British campaign
of false news" for the reports.
New Spanish Consul in Tunis.
With the colonial phase Of French
collaboration with the Axis powers
growing daily more important, there
came news tonight from Tunis that
a new Spanish consul, AlphonSo FlS-
covitch. had arrived. This was con-
sidered significant since he is the
first diplomat accredited by Spain
| to Tunis since GeneraliSSimo Fran
cisco Franco has come to power.
Beirut dispatches to Vichy quoted
| Arab circles as saying the formation
of the new government in Iraq does
not mean surrender to Britain. and
that the Iraqis would resume hos
tilities" if the British were to 60
beyond the limits of the British
Iraq treaty.
The British news agency Ex-
| change Telegraph reported in dis
patch from Zurich, Switzerland, that
Gen. Weygand had advised Vice
Premier Admiral Jean Darlan, a
leading advocate of close co-opera-
ton, that the attitude of his North
African troops could not be guar
anteed in the event they were called
upon to fight the De Gaulle forces.
Exchange Telegraph said stormy
meetings" between Gen. Weygand
and Admiral Darlan took place and
reported that Gen. Weygand at his
own insistence had been relieved of
responsibility for the conduct OF
French troops in Syria, current crux
of the Mediterranean situation.
More Troops Reported Asked.
The British Broadcasting Corp.
quoted a dispatch from the Free
French news agency saying that
Gen. Henri DentZ, high commits
sioner to Syria, a French mandate,
had asked the Vichy government to
send more troops land if necessary
German troops" to take the place
of those whose allegiance to Vichy
is uncertain"
Reuters, another British news
agency, said in an Ankara dispatch
that eight German pocket SUBJ
marines" were seen in the harbor of
Beirut, Lebanon, part of the French
Syrian mandate, during the past
week.