Evening star., 1943-11-21
London Sees Downfall
OF Laval Possible as
French Crisis Grows
BY the Associated preSs

French Crisis Grows
By the Associated Press.
LONDON, Nov. 20.-Belief grew
IN London tonight that Collabora-
zionist Pierre Laval's bloc might COL
lapse IN the face of the reported
defiant determination of the Vichy
chief of state, Marshal Henri Phi
llppe Petain, to lead conquered
France back to democratic govern
ment.
Lifting a week-long blackout Of
all mention of Marshal Petain, the
Vichy radio went to elaborate
lengths today-apparently to quiet
mounting French home front un-
rest-to create the impression that
the 87-year-old marshal still was
functioning
A Berlin Foreign Office spokesman
was quoted in Swiss dispatch as
having given guarded confirmation
OF reports of crisis at Vichy. The
spokesman added, however, that
"rumors" that Marshal Petain had
resigned, 80 far as is known at The
W1lhelmstrasse, are nonsensical."
Woman's Voice Heard.
The Morocco radio in a broadcast
recorded by the Associated Press
said woman voice announcing
that Marshal Petain has resigned"
was heard on the Vichy radio Just
before the 7:30 am. news bulletins.
Out of the conflicting welter of
rumors from Vichy, the report of
an open break between Marshal
Petaln and Laval, his German-sup-
ported chief of government, ap-
peared to be substantiated.
Marshal Petain never has liked
Laval. 1t was recalled that in De-
cember, 1910, Marshal Petain called
a meeting at the Pare Hotel and
when Laval emerged he was placed
under arrest. Laval's release then
was brought about through the in
tervention of Otto Abetz, German
envoy to France. The danger to
Laval's position now is believed to
lie in the fact that he was in much
better standing with the Nazis three
years ago than he is today.
The VIchy radio during the day
sounded burst of reports on the
marshal. The emphasis of everv
broadcast was to try and give a
rosy account of what was happen
ing in Vichy.
Reported Under Arrest.
A recording of voice. purportedly
that of Marshal Petain himself, was
broadcast. This broadcast was de-
signed to picture the marshal as
laughing off reports that he was ill.
Vlchy allowed mention of new
pledges of loyalty to the chief of
state-possibly indicating that the
Germans and the Laval collabora-
tors had squelched any move that
Marshal Petain might have tried
10 break away on his own.
Swiss reports. without confirma-
ton, persisted that Marshal Petain
was under house arrest. French
politicians in Switzerland said thev
were certain he had not yet actually
put his resignation into force but
hoped by threatening it to bring
about a showdown Information
leaking across the Swiss frontier
said last night that a number of
the marshal's closest friends, in
cluding three generals, had been
arrested.
The marshal's reported plan to
draft a democratic constitution,
which the Nazis prevented him from
promulgating, was viewed in Swift
as an attempt to make way
TOR a regime which would be ac-
oeptable to the Allies when France
IS freed. 1t is known that Mar
shall Petain recently told friends
ne was seeking a way to prevent
4 bloody revolution between the
Vichy regime and the French Com
nlttee of National Liberation when
,he Germans are driven out.
Labor Chief Resigns.
The resignation of Hubert la Gar
lelle. Vichy Minister of Labor. was
Iiewed in Switzerland as the first
concrete evidence of a sWerve of
cabinet ministers away from Laval.
he was brought into the
by Laval, La Gardelle
always has been regarded as faith
sul to the marshal.
The Berlin correspondent of the
Swiss newspaper Basler Nachrich-
en-, reporting on the statements of
Berlin Foreign Office spokesman,
noted that the entire German decla-
ration on French matters was care
fully phrased." The spokesman said
the French political situation was
an internal affair"-a phrase often
used by the Germans previously
when French collabora ton was not
smoothly.
In its broadcasts during the day
the Vichy radio reported that Laval
had presided at a cabinet meeting
not attended by Marshal Petain, but
had seen the marshal after the
meeting. The Vichy radio said the
chief of State" marshal Petain)
had received delegation from Nor
mandy this morning.