Evening star., 1942-07-10
New Agreement Seen
Clarifying u. 5. and
Free French Link
Gen. de GuulIe Is Believed
Not Wanting Recognition
As Exile Government
BY PERTINAX.

The new agreement between the
United States Government and the
Free French National Committee
under Gen. Charles de Gaulle, is
expected to do away with various
embarrassments experienced on both
sides in recent months in New
Caledonia and French Equatorial
Africa.
Those two French colonies are of
great strategic importance and it
has long been felt in Washington
that American military commanders
must have full use of them accord
ing to circumstances. But the ar
rangements concluded for that pur-
pose with the representatives of
Gen. de Gaulle in this country Feb
ruary 26 and April proved in
adequate when they were put to the
test.
While the United States Govern
ment made it rule to treat with
local officials ION the basis of their
actual administration of the terri
tories involved the Free French
National Committee insisted that
the central authority vested In it
could not Systematically be ignored
and passed over. Hence the diff
culties which, from time to time,
have been mentioned in the press.
Administrative Reshuffling.
All Free French officials in the
Pacific and in Africa did not react
in the same manner to the American
claim. Some of them were prone
to comply Immediately with all de-
mands put forward from Wash
ington. Others stuck to the letter
of the instructions they had re-
ceived from London. On that ac-
count, Gen. de Gaulle had to do
some administrative reshuffling.
At last, and it is very fortunate
development, the new arrangement
provides for channel of communi-
cations between the United States
Government and Gen. de Gaulle's
headquarters in England, which did
not exist before. Admiral Harold r..
Stark, chief of United States naval
forces in Europe, and Brig. Gen.
Charles L. Bolte, chief of staff of
the United States Army's European
headquarters, will consult with Gen.
de Gaulle's staff.
So much, SO good. But is it to
be taken for granted that the rela-
tions between America and the
French National Committee have
now been placed on a definite and
stable basis? That all the prob
lens which may conceivably arise
bid fair to be solved automatically :?
To indicate the gaps which still
can be detected in the agreement,
it sufflces to explain how Gen. de
Gaulle sees his movement among
the United Nations.
Assumption Discounted.
The common belief is that the
Free French leader wants his Ma
tional Committee to be recognized
as the eventual government of
France, "as a government in exile"
Gen. de Gaulle's program, as re-
Gently defined, gives the lie to that
assumption. Since it is not pos
sible for the French people freely
to assert their will, he explains,
the National Committee only pre-
tends to WELD provisional author
ity and it intends to exert it solely
for carrying out the will of the
French nation as known before the
surrender of June, 1910.
Undoubtedly, then, majority of
Frenchmen stood for the continual
ton of the alliance with England
and the policy advocated by Pc
tain and Laval repelled them. 1t
devolves on the French National
Committee to realign the French
people by the side of the fighting
nations.
To fulfill that mission, Gen. de
Gaulle has set for himself double
task: /. To insure the full partici-
patton in the struggle of the armed
forces available to him and, in as
sociation with the Allies, to make
the most of the strategic positions
which have been or will be sub
tracted from the government of
Vichy. 2. To organize and CO.
ordinate, in all its forms the resist
ance to the Nazi occupying power,
which, throughout France, is on the
increase.
Gen. de Gaulle does not think he
can achieve that aim unless the
United Nations act on the principle
that whatever relates to French re-
sistance is of his concern and un-
less they regard him and the Ma
tional Committee as the proper au-
thority which normally takes charge
of the French possessions whenever
the writ of the German conqueror
and of the commission of armistice
ceases to run.
tReleased by North American Newspaper
Alliance)