Evening star., 1941-08-04
New Crisis at Vichy

new AIISiS OF NlCny
Acting Secretary of State Sumner
Welles' sharply phrased statement
regarding the Vichy government and
it's foreign policy comedies with what
looks like major internal crisis in
the Vichy government itself.
Mr.. Welles' statement took Vichy
to task for allowing the Japanese to
establish military and naval bases
in Indo-China under the pretext
that Japanese assistance" was
needed to protect the colony against
other powers when, in the Far East,
Japan has shown itself to be the
sole aggressor. Asserting that this
military occupation directly men
aces American security" and con-
trasting Vichy's complaisance in
Indo-China with its resistance to
British precautionary measures in
Syria, Mr.. Welles warned fatty that
American relations with Vichy and
with French colonial governments
would be guided by the degree to
which they resisted the Axis powers.
This last statement may we'll have
been a hint that, if Vichy yielded to
Axis pressure regarding other parts
of the French colonial empire, eSpe-
cially in North Africa and the
Americas, the United States might
feel impelled to extend aid to any
colonial government reluctant to fol-
low Vichy's orders or might even
deal with the Free French" regime
of General de Gaulle.
Mr.. Welles' action thus may be
interpreted as a last warning to
Vichy to mend it's ways or suffer the
consequences. Yet it may also be
interpreted as an indirect encour-
agement to Vichy in a reported stiff
fening against German pressure for
full-fledged "co-operation" with the
Axis.
Behind veil of secrecy and
strict press censorship, struggle
seemingly is taking place inside the
Vichy regime. Rumor has it that
Marshal Petain and some of his
colleagues are resisting German de-
mands for the use of French North
Africa, including Dakar, and that in
this attitude they are being backed
up by General Weygand, whose re-
peated pledge to maintain French
rule in North Africa against any
foreign encroachment presumably
has been strengthened by Ger
many's failure to break Russian re-
sistance. The German-controlled
Paris press again is shouting against
the "timorous weaklings" Of Vichy
and demands their replacement by
Pierre Laval and others who would
establish France in Hitler's new
order"
But it seems highly significant that
newspapers in unoccupied France
are hitting back against this Paris
press campaign. Meanwhile, public
opinion throughout France is I'M
doubtedly stirring at the heartening
news of German losses in Russia,
thus giving Petain moral support for
his disinclination to go beyond the
terms of the Franco German armi-
Stice to which he has subscribed.
All this is surprising news, coming
as it does on the heels of Vichy's
abiect capitulation to Axis pressure
over Indo-China, which seemed to
indicate complete surrender. But
German preoccupation in Russia and
the obvious weakening of her mill
tary power rapidly are Transforming
the whole psychological picture in
Europe, including France itself. The
picture is as yet confused and I'M
certain. A prompt German triumph in
Russia might cause the new spirit
quickly to evaporate. But the leaven
is working and cannot fail to affect
men like Petain and Weygand, who
never have been pro-German, but
rather resigned to a German domi-
nation of the continent which they
considered inevitable. To resume
their insistence on the armistice
terms probably is all that can be
expected of them for the time being.
Yet even this is much. And Mr..
Welles' statement may have come at
the psychological moment.
It is not yet known whether this