Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-05-26

making possible the turning
North African Campaign, is
his week by RADIO FRANCE
from Algiers. He died in the French
Hospital ip Cairo. He was Sc years
old.
NJ. Eboue was described by men,
bers of the French Committee of
National Liberation in Washington.
as one of the "best citizens and
patriots" of France, as a "very
valuable man." and as perhaps the
greatest Governor in the French
Empire"
"True to her tradition of making
no distinction of race, color or reli-
gion among her citizens, France en-
abled Felix Eboue TO rise to the
highest of her colonial posts. The
wisdom of her policy was proven
by the accomplishments of this
great Governor General" Henri
Hoppenot, minister plenipotentiary
and delegate of French Committee
in the United States, declared in a
statement to the NNPA.
He said further, an the death of
Governor General Eboue, France
loses one of her best citizens and
patriots.
"As soon as the Armistice was
signed, Governor Eboue led the re-
sistance throughout the territories
of the Chad and Equatorial Africa.
He succeeded in rallying these COL
onies to General DeGauIle, support
ed by the patriotic attachment of
the natives to France.
HE was the first Negro Governor
General to be appointed in our Col
onies.
Born in Guiana, he served in
Guadeloupe, Martinique, where he
is still remembered as an excellent
administrator"
A woman staff member of the
French Committee said NJ. Eboue
was very prominent at the Confer
ence at Brazzaville, concerning the
future of the French Empire. She
said he was the most outstanding
personality in the French colonial
government" Undoubtedly, he
would have played a very important
role in the postwar French en-
pre-" she declared. His loss is
very keenly felt"
French Equatorial Africa was a
cornerstone of the United Nations
defense in the Allied invasion of
North Africa. Tens of thousands of
native troops, including the Sene-
galese, were placed with the allied
troops and fought in the Battle of
North Africa. Without Eboue's aid,
the North African campaign would
have been much more costly in
lives, material and time.
In August, 1910, after the fall of
France, he was accused by the
Vichy regime of collaborating with
General DeGaulle and Colonel De
Larinat, former chief of staff of the
French army in the Near East, to
raise the flag of revolt against the
armistice in the Lake Chad region,
in the northern section of his provi-
dence.
He was dismissed from his post
by Vichy and deprived of his rank
as an officer of the Legion of Hon
or. General DeGaulle, however, i'm
mediately confirmed him in civil
control of Equatorial Africa in Oc-
tober, 1910, appointed him a mem
Der of the Council of Defense of the
French Empire in the Free French
organization.
Governor Eboue was educated at
the Ecole Colonial in Paris, and en-
tered the colonial service as a stu
dent administrator in Equatorial
Africa. For "a years he held var
iOus posts in the government serv-
ice. In 1881, he was named secre-
tary-general of Martinique. Four
years later, Marius Moutet, min
lister of colonies in the administra-
ton of Leon Blum, appointed him
Governor of the French Sudan. He
was the first Negro to hold that
rank.
In December, 1886, he was trans
ferred to Guadeloupe as Governor,
which post he held until he returned
to Equatorial Africa as Governor
in 1889.
The Governor is survived by a
widow and three children.