Evening star., 1942-11-28
Axis Source Of TouIon
Reports Is Stressed
By owl Analysis
Nozi-Vichy News Machine
Swung Into Action With
CoIorfuI Stories, 1t Says

By the Associated Press.
The Once of War Information
said in foreign service report yes
terday that Vichy propagandists
under Nazi domination are pouring
out vivid descriptions" about the
situation at Toulon and "stressing
the point for American and British
consumption that the entire French
fleet is scuttied."
The report is the owl analysis Of
foreign broadcasts as reported by the
Federal Communications Conlnls-
sion.
"As a Lyon broadcast said yester-
day." the report continued. "all COM
muniques and news commentaries
on French stations come direct from
the Ministry of Information, which
is under the tightest kind of control
and direction by Pierre Laval, Hit
lers puppet."
Made "Colorful Copy"
1t added that Immediately follow
ing the Nazi move on Toulon the
"Nazi- -Vichy news machine" swung
into action to put out description,
quoted eyewitnesses and dispatches
which made "colorful copy"
IF previous practices of Nazi-
Vichy propagandists are any guide,
these stories are not being put out
just to make copy" the report OBJ
served.
1t added that the Vichy radio an
nounced this afternoon it was un-
able to guarantee" any more of its
transmissions because Of political
events, but despite that the Vichy
radio and Morse code services con-
tinued to pump out stories of the
Toulon situation at an active rate"
Lovette Points to Axis Patrol.
Meanwhile Capt. Leland P. Low
cite, Navy public relations chief.
said that Axis forces had been pa
trolling outside Toulon harbor for
some time and that it probably
would have been impossible for the
French warships tied up there to
escape.
Capt. Lovette spoke at Secretary
Of Navy Knox's press conference yes
terday, at which Secretary Knox
repeatedly emphasized that the Navy
had no confirmation Of reports from
Europe that German forces had oc-
cupied Toulon and that part or all
of the French feet there had been
scuttled.
Capt. Lovette, explaining that he
was speaking only of physical prob
| lens which confronted the French
fleet command, said that Toulon
had very narrow harbor entrance.
not much wider than double the
width of a broad city street, and he
added that if an escape had been
tried the Axis forces, including air.
craft, would unquestionably have
attacked, probably sunk some ships
in the harbor entrance, and thereby
bottled up the rest of the fleet units.
Ships at Toulon Listed.
| Secretary Knox said the Navy's
information on ships in the harbor
showed there the Dunkerque and
Strasbourg. capital ships; the old
battleship Provence, heavy cruisers.
3 light cruisers, 18 destroyer leaders
which range in size up to $500 tons,
IS ordinary destroyers and probably
about 81 submarines-a total OF "a
vessels. ..
However, Secretary Knox said,
some of these ships have been
stripped Of parts to furnish replace
ments for the other ships and were
therefore immobile.
He described as interesting but
without confirmation by the Navy
here various reports which he said
had come over tho wires"
One dispatch, he said, related that
the French ships had fired at each
other to blast holes into the hulls
near the water lines. The reason
for such action, Secretary Knox ex-
planned, would be the fear that II
the ships were sunk merely by open
ing their sea cocks the enemy would
be able to raise them.