Evening star., 1944-06-19
Army Chiefs \ cIos 4
Opposed to De GuulIe
Observer Says French Leader
Has Overplayed His Hand
By David Laurence

0y DGOf0 Laurence
Many criticisms, fair and unfair, have
been directed against President Roose-
welt in his II or more years in the
White House but none so unfair as
that which is coming at him from his
own left-wing supporters-and from
some other critics with an ordinarily
balanced viewpoint-because of this
Governments policy toward Gen. de
Gaulle.
First the fire was aimed at Secretary
Hull, and when that failed the Presi-
dent was accused Of having some sort
of personal antipathy or grievance
against Gen. de Gaulle.
But the truth about De Gaulle Is
that the opposition to him within our
own ranks comes from the Army. It.
comes from men like Gen. Marshall and
Gen. Eisenhower 1t comes from the
military people in whose side Gen. de
Gaulle has been thorn from the very
beginning. 1t comes out of strictly
military considerations.
If the true story Of what De Gaulle
has said and done were explained some
day to the American people by some
one like Gen. Marshall, for instance,
the folks who have been propaganda
ing for De Gaulle would be left high
and dry. They would find it difficult
to support the thesis that only some
personal antipathy toward the French,
general by Mr.. Roosevelt himself has
been responsible for our Government s
policy in going slow about recognizing
him as the head Of the provisional
French government.
Hand Overplayed.
The De Gaulle movement is to be
distinguished from the personal am
bitions of Gen. de Gaulle to win political
power. There Is no doubt that the De
Gaullists are the uncompromising
Frenchmen who have been militant
against Germany ever since the sur
render Of France in June, 1910. But
when Gen. de Gaulle, as their leader,
has sought to capitalize this movement
for political purposes he has over--
played his hand. tt
1t is fortunate that De Gaulle has.
gone back to Algiers. He butted into
the invasion picture last week and gave
Gen. Eisenhower a deplorable problenf
just as the French general butted inl
on the military operations in North
Africa. When the Sicilian invasion.
was launched, Gen. de Gaulle cried out
that he hadn't been consulted. !,
The truth Is Gen. Eisenhower had
little faith in De Gaulle as a military.
man and still less as a practical CO..
operationist in civil matters. 1t is one
of the tragedies of our war operation
in Europe that at moments when Gen.
Eisenhower has carried the main burden
Of Allied responsibility in military
operations Of the greatest complexity he
has been harassed by Gen. de Gaulle. :
The patience Of the American military
men has been superb. Doubtless Presi-
dent Roosevelt has restrained many an
outburst of public condemnation by our
military spokesmen against De Gaulle.
Used by Enemy. :.
The enemy, of course, has been using,
the dissension for local propaganda in
Lately also an effort has even been
made to paint the President as an
imperialist bent on breaking up Frances
colonial empire. Nothing could be far
ther from the truth. The United States
doesn't want to own one inch of France s,
colonies or any other nations colonies
unless 1t be some of Japan's strategic,
islands near our bases. What America
wants is some means of leasing or secur-
ing naval and air bases from France
and internationalizing these so as to-
prevent American lives from being
sacrificed again because of the criminal
neglect by French politicians in Paris
of national armament and overseas pro-,
lection. 4
There's no closed door against De
Gaulle. He can come here to visit the
President and Secretary of State and
he will be welcomed cordially. He must,
however, realize that the United States.
Government isn't turning over the mil
lions of dollars of gold owned by the
French people and held in America to
any provisional group. nor is there this,
slightest desire to pick President or,
Premier for France 4:
Above all, Gen. de Gaulle must realize
that $4,000 casualties on the beachheads.
of Normandy were not suffered by the
American people just for the doubtful
privilege of messing in French politics
or of letting some French politician
come to the invasion area in the heat of
battle and play French politics behind
Gen. Eisenhower's back in a manner
calculated to interfere with the orderly
task of liberation.
Gen. de Gaulle ought to come here.
He ought to come repentant for his,
extraordinary behavior and sit down
with American officials not to plan the
future of any one man but the future
of the French Republic for whose free
dom and independence American and
Canadian and British soldiers and
sailors are making such a magnificent
fight today. ~
Reproduction Rights Reserved)