Evening star., 1942-11-09
Much Criticized Vichy Policy Paved Way
For North African Drive, Hull Reveals

For North Atri<
(Terts of statements By Presi-
dent RooseDelt, Marshal Petdin
and others, page 49,
BY GARNETT d. HORNER.
Paving the way for military
operations in French North AZ
rica was the principal United
States objective in maintaining
diplomatic relations with the
Vichy regime for the last two
years, and so this Government
was Indifferent to Vichy's anti
climactic break in relations.
Secretary of State Hull, obviously
happy to be able to tell at last
some of the inside story Of our
much-diputed Vichy policy, made
this clear in direct statement and
by implication at special press
conference yesterday.
His explanation Of the admins
tration attitude was made before
the news of the actual break by
Vichy was received here, but he
made it evident that he considered
the diplomatic tie with the pro-
Hitler Laval regime-as distinct
from our historic friendship with
the French people-immaterial.
American concern for preserving
the friendship of true Frenchmen
was emphasized in a message from
President Roosevelt to Marshal
Petain, made public by the White
House late yesterday, assuring him
that our ultimate aim in the Afri-
can campaign is Frances liberation
from the Axis yoke" The message
followed the lines of that directed
to the French people Saturday
night.
Marshal Petain rejected the
Presidents explanation with "be-
wilderment and sadness" Formal
notice of the break in relations,
handed the American Charge
d'Affairs in Vichy yesterday,
reached Washington during the
night.
Spain, Portugal Reassured.
Meanwhile, the White House dis
closed that the President had
assured Gen. Francisco Franco of
Spain and the President Of Portugal
that our North African action was
not directed at their countries and
that they have nothing to fear from
the United Nations.
In explaining this Governments
real purposes in maintaining rela-
tions so long with the Vichy regime,
Secretary Hull still refrained from
giving much new detail about our
actual operations in achieving them,
but referred in general terms to
valuable work in obtaining highly
important information and in en-
couraging the French people to
! oppose Hitlerism.
This was q small part of the long
and tedious task Of preparing for
the second front offensive in the
Mediterranean theater, which Mr..
Hull foresaw and began working
toward as long ago as the fall of
194O-before we actually were at
war.
Resistance Softened.
Aside from the military prepara-
tions now bearing fruit, the State
Department, Board of Economic
Warfare and other Government
agencies have been working in close
cooperation with the British for
many months to nullify German
influence with the French people
as well as with neutrals like Spain,
Portugal and Turkey-as part of the
groundwork for the conflict in the
Mediterranean area.
The obvious purpose is to soften
resistance to such occupation as
that under way in North Africa by
making clear that United Nations
troops come as friends to all those
not actively helping the Axis, and
to keep the neutral peoples as
friendly to us as possible.
Much of this work might seem
like "fifth column activity to Hitler,
but it has been mostly aboveboard
and is considered by those helping
to direct 1t here as much more than
that-a good example of United
Nations total war" activity.
| AS one result of diplomatic rela-
tions with Vichy, for example, at
least 20 crack American agents-in
addition to augmented consular
staffs-have been busy for months
in French North Africa, helping to
lay the ground for anticipated civil
ian cooperation with our occupying
forces.
Friendship Demonstrated.
They had a legitimate mission-to
supervise distribution of American
food and other supplies sent into
the African colonies. A major rea-
son for shipping these supplies, Of
course, was to demonstrate friend
ship for the people there. regardless
of what We thought OF their govern
ment at Vichy.
The shipments were made under
an agreement with Vichy for close
American control Of the distribution
to prevent any of the supplies bene-
fitting the Axis. This Government
took paints to select highly trained,
French-speaking men to do the SUI
pervising.
When they got to North Africa, a
reliable authority said, these agents
had opportunity to travel every
the arnistice Ia snite of the re-