Evening star., 1943-03-23
.Giraud's Declaration
Expected 10 Reassure
Riche|ieu's Sailors
Decrease in Desertions
To Join De GouIIists
Is Anticipated
BY HELEN LOMBARD.

Gen. Henri Girauds declaration
that he intends to clean house in
North Africa is expected to ease con-
siderably the taut situation in
America.
Vice Armiral Rene Fenard of the
French Navy, now here in connec-
ton with the refitting of the French
ships wh1cf. Used to bes@tied up at
Dakar, can now breath a., sigh of
relief.
Admiral Fenard. whose job it is to
get the French task force, now under
repair in American yards. ready for
active service. has had his duties
complicated by the factional war
among the various French groups.
The French~admiral is a non-
political officer who owes allegiance
to France alone. A Free French
sympathizer. he stayed at his post
in Algiers in order to secure that
base, if necessary, against the Nazis.
The admiral's wife is an English
educated French woman who is en-
Enthusiastically sympathetic to the
Allied cause.
Aided Darian Deal.
1t was at the home of Admiral
Fenard that American Consul Gen
eral Robert Murphy spent a good
deal of time while he was preparing
politically the landing of the Allies
in North Africa. And it was at the
Fenard home that the famous agree
ment between Mr.. Murphy. 1t. Gen.
Mark w. Clark and Admiral Jean
Darlan was made-the agreement
which ended French resistance to
the Allied forces landing in North
Africa.
When Admiral Fenard arrived
here he was delighted with the ready
cooperation established between his
mission and the various Government
departments. The French admiral
was equally surprised at the bitter
ness of the factional war going on
between the various French groups
and their followers in the United
States.
Secretary of the Treasury Nor
genthau put through in record time
a request of Admiral Fenard for
the necessary dollar exchange with
which to pay the French sailors
who had brought the ships into
American ports. These same sail
ors, however. on reaching shore,
were Immediately besieged by
propagandists who handed them
French translations of articles
which had appeared in some sec
tions of the American press attack
ing the Giraud government.
Some Officers for Petain.
When the battleship Richelieu
was within sight of the Statue of
Liberty, Admiral Fenard appealed
to the Secretary Of the Navy Knox
for dollar exchange. Although it
was late in the afternoon, MI Knox
promptly telephoned Mr.. Morgen-
thau and the Admiral was in pos
session of sacksfull of dollar bills
before the evening was over.
The bureaucracy-shy Frenchman
was amazed at the smoothness and
rapidity of the transaction.
When the French sailors left their
ships. however, matters immedi-
ately became more complicated.
Propagandists were on the job to
exhort the French sailors to desert
and join Gen. de Gaulle.
There are undoubtedly some ON
GERS on the French ships in the
American ports who are Petain-
minded. They have been subjected
for two years to intensive propa-
ganda and some of the conservative
by nature are more fearful of the
Communist menace, which had
been drubbed into their minds, than
Of the NAZi threat.
These "indoctrinated" officers are,
however, being rapidly weeded out.
Most Of the French naval officers
obey orders and 1t is hoped here
that Gen. Giraud's stand will clear
the atmosphere and end the ideo-
logical hijacking Of French sailors
which has been going on.
Neleased by the Dsal Syndicate. Ine)