Evening star., 1941-05-20
French Air Chief
Reaches Syria 10
Organize Defense
Gen. Bereeret Flies From
North Africu to Aid
Gen. Henri Dentz
By the Associated Press.

VICHY, France, May 20.-French
Air Minister Gen. Jean Marie Ber-
geret landed at Beirut last night tc
organize the defense of French
inundated Syria against British
aerial bombardments, it was an
nounced here today.
The announcement said the pur-
pose of Gen. Bergeret's trip was to
"check up and perfect anti-aircratt
defense measures of the Levant in
accordance with the government S
orders and in conjunction with High
Commissioner Henri Dentz."
He was met by Gen. Dentz and
Eevant Air Comdr. Gen. Jannekeyn
at Beirut airdrome. The Air Min
lister few directly from North Africa
after completing inspection tours
there and at Dakar.
The trip was considered to have
been as a result of recent British
bombardmentS of Kayak and other
Syrian airdromes following British
Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden S
charges that Syrian airfelds were
being used by German planes on
the way to Iraq to Join the lraqls In
the war against the British.
1t was acknowledged yesterday
that Syrian anti-aircraft batteries
had fired on British planes over
Syria.
Indicates Readiness to Fight.
France meanwhile indicated she
was ready to fight to regain African
colonies seized by Gen. Charles de
Gaulle's Free French" aided by
the British.
With Vice Premier Admiral Jean
Darlan en- route to Paris-presum-
ably to continue collaboration nego-
tiations with German representa-
tives-the official French 1nforma-
ton Office asserted the time had
come for France to recapture the
territories taken over by the de
Gaullist rebels"
The statement-Uhich followed by
only a few hours an announcement
last night that French antl-alrcratt
batteries had begun firing on British
planes over Syrla-declared en-
phatically that France cannot per-
nit any foreign government to in
tervene" to Illustrate this purpose.
1T is necessary to underline one
point-that this problem of rebellion
Is to be settled solely between France
and the rebels" the information Of
fee said, adding that complete
French sovereignty must be estab-
Ished' over the lost territories.
Nazi Pressure Reported.
There was no indication of how
this statement might be linked with
German French collaboration plans.
There have been rumors in Vichy for
some time, however, that the Ger
mans have been pressing France to
attempt to re-establish control of her
colonies as one Of the terms for
agreement.
In London British expressed
belief the Germans had instl-
gated the Vichy statement. They
suggested that France might hand
back to Germany part of the At
rican colonies of Togoland and
the Cameroons which the Ger
mans lost in the World War and
then grant NaN troops free pas
sage across French possessions to
bases from which they could
strike at the Free French and
British.
Commenting on this posSlbil-
ity, an authoritative London
source said: only small force
could march across the French
Sahara Desert. but even a COM
paratively small force could be
devil of a nuisance in those
partS.D
Bevond an acknowledgment that
French anti-aircraft batteries had
fred on British planes over Syria,
there was no official comment on
developments in that French man
date.
The British have been attacking
SYRIAN airdromes where German
planes admittedly have been land
ing with French approval en- route
to aid Iraq troops battling the
British.
lIlC lll1Ol StfhbNAihNtANs
however, asserted that messages
written by rebel French" military
leaders had been dropped on Syrian
towns from British planes, indicat-
ing that "one of the objects of Eng
nsh politics is to separate Syria
from metropolitan France.
Betrayal Laid to De Gaulle.
Most of the rebels under Gen.
de Gaulle, the statement declared,
are good Frenchmen who have been
BETRAYED"
The French African possessions
which these "Free French" forces
now control cover an area of ap-
proximately 100000 square miles
and have q population of more than
3,400,000. Included are a huge sec
ton of French Equatorial Africa.
Gabon, the Cameroons and Chad
territory, extending from the West
African coast north and east to
italian Libya and the Anglo -Egyp-
tan Sudan.
France has large and we'll
equipped army stationed in North
Africa under Gen. Mazime Weygand,
which presumably would be called
upon in any attempt to regain the
colonies now held by the De Gaul-
lists.
How many men Gen. Weygand
has under his command is a mill
taTy secret. Free French forces,
however, have been reported Coop
Grating with the British in East
Africa and they have made forays
into Southern Libya from Chad ter
fitory.
The Free French" have made
frequent but unheeded appeals to
Gen. Weygand's forces to throw in