Evening star., 1941-04-03
U. 5. Army Officers
Reported Ready 10
Direct French Food
Help on Larger Scale
Indicated if Coreoes Stop
Finding Way to Reich
BY EDGAR ANsEL MOWRER.

A whole bevy of American Reserve
officers is getting ready to go to I'M
occupied France and French North
Africa to supervise French food i'm"
ports and the feeding Of the French
population with American supplies
upon a much larger scale-f the
Vichy government can patch up its
troubles with the British and accepts
the stringent British and American
conditions.
On the other hand, if the Vichy
authorities do not accept these con-
ditions and If there are any more
French efforts to ignore the British
blockade and right of search, then
the chance of France obtaining from
this country anything but the two
shiploads of flour already promised
that country is just about zero.
The task of the American Re-
serve officers would be multiple.
Some would be stationed in French
North Africa. There they would
check the infiltration of Germans,
and If it continued, report upon 1t.
And the feeding of the French by
the United States would cease. The
officers also would examine French
ships leaving North Africa for
France. If they contained nothing
but foodStuffs, we'll and good. If,
however, they were stuffed with
minerals and machines and other
objects desired by Germany and
Italy, the feeding Of the French by
the United States would cease.
War Supplies Camouf1aged.
Other American reserve officers
would be stationed on the docks in
unoccupied French Mediterranean
ports. They would examine the
cargoes of ships arriving from North
Africa. They would know whether
or not portion of these cargoes
found their way-as heretofore
into the hands of Germans and
Italians and were speeded on their
way to Germany and Italy. If so,
the feeding of the French by the
United States would cease.
Still other reserve officers would
be stationed along the entire from
tier between unoccupied and occu-
pied France, from the Pyrenees to
the Alps If any food, under any
preteXt. or under any arrangement,
left unoccupied France of occupied
France, then the feeding of the
French by the United States would
cease.
The Vichy government stands con-
victed, If not having misstated its
position to the British and to the
Americans, at least of having been
silent concerning its food ex-
change" deal with the Germans.
The Vichy government is charged
by the British with having deliber-
ately camouhaged war material
brought from Africa to Europe for
the axis powers in so-called food
ships. The Vichy government, out
side the terms of the arr1istice
agreement, has allowed Germans to
infltrate into North Africa.
Up to Generous" Nazis.
The Vichy government has been
consistently disregardful of this
country's wishes. The latest is the
refusal on the part of the French
colony of Martinique to permit
American Army flyers to pass over
that West Indian island on their
way to our new Caribbean bases.
The Vichy government has at
trih,,toI SIC oheoora 1f fond - 49,
British blockade and said nothing
Of its own deliveries of foodstuffs to
italians and Germans.
Mindful of Frances plight, group
of Americans has desired us to help
feed unoccupied France, and group
of Englishmen led by Winston
Churchill against the advice of the
British Ministry of Economic War
fare) has insisted that the expert
ment be tried" Other Americans,
and notably the experienced head
of the American Red Gross, have
opposed sending anything but milk,
vitamins and medicaments to the
unfortunate French.
Two shiploads of wheat will soon
be on their way to unoccupied
France. But, American officials in
sist, unless the government submits
to, and abides by, the Anglo
American conditions outlined above,
France will, henceforth, have to rely
upon itself and its generous" tthe
word is Admiral Darlan's) German
conquerors for its nourishment. An
answer from Vichy is expected.
(copyrisht. 1e41. Chicago Daily News, 1nc.)