The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-07-09
Editors On DeGaulle

While Washington offlclaldom is paying
homage to General Charles deGaulle and
President Roosevelt receives him in private
conference, with recognition of his Committee
of Liberation beyond the pale, newspaper edi.
tors are devoting thought to the implications
of his visit to the National Capital. Their
views are various, though all, SO far as their
comments are available, voice the earnest
hope that wlen the Frenchman departs bet
ter feeling may have been established be-
tween this nations administration and Nazi-
overrun France.
The Christian Science Monitor thinks much
progress must have been made by Washing
ton and London toward harmonzing their
points of view on General de Gaulle.' Other
wise, the Monitor concludes, the visit of this
French leader to Washington could not USE
fully take place at this tine"
The New York Times is convinced he comes
with natural pride for what Frenchmen have
accomplished under terrific handicaps" and
continues From Fort Lamy and Biz Ha-
chem to this weeks entry into Siena, French
troops have fought well. French sources ir
London assert that the French guerrillas, the
Maquis, are pinning down about eight Ger.
man divisions that otherwise would be in ac-
their new commander, General Koenig, Gen
eral Eisenhower has bestowed upon these he
roic combatants his 'wa-mest conmenda-
TONS
While we may not recognize the French
Committee as the government of France, adds
the Times, I'VE do have the right and duty
to cooperate on the practical plane with the
only French movement which has effectively
resisted the treason of Vichy''
Among North Carolina papers, the Raleigh
News and Observer voices an opinion which
has been in many Tar Heel minds since Cen
eral de Gaulle set out to be statesman
"As matter of fact" the News and Observ-
er observes, DE Gaulle is headed in the
wrong direction. His destination ought to be
ION to Paris as he takes his place with
Allied troops resolved to lberate France and
then capture Berlin. The place of a soldier
is in the fighting area, not using needed gaso.
line to fly over oceans away from the battle
fields where the bravest love to die II De
Gaulle wants first of all to liberate France
he should know his gun should help in the
lberatng and not fly away from where the
fight is going on, where American and other
Allied troops are fighting and dying to lib
crate France
The Greensboro Daily News believes some
thing more than hospitality is needed to bring
full accord in this country's relations with
the De Gaulle element in France, saying:
For all the royalty and elaborateness of
the welcome given to Gen. Charles De
Gaulle upon his arrival in Washington it
must be agreed that the differences be-
tween our government and the French
National Committee of Liberation. which
t.ae general heads cannot and will not be
dissolved by outward manifestations and
trapplngs, however much they may be de-
signed for Impressions sake.
On the other hand, the Charlotte Observer
optmistically declares:
There is good reason 10 believe that tae
visit OF the French military leader, De
in the way of solving the dangerous diff
ferences which have obtained between him
and the civilian patriots whom he repre-
sents in France, and President Roosevelt,
who has held out against giving him the
leadership recognition he demand
And the Fayetteville Observer finds that:
The United States has accommodated it's
foreign policy to meet strange situations.
Our military men worked with Admiral
Darlan We have given recognition on suf-
ference to the Italian royal house although
there is a large agitation for its depos-
ton and an abolition of the monarchy. 1t
is not too much to hope that this country
and Britain allow De Gaules committee
to organize civil government in liberated
areas and to leave for the future the mat
ter of formal recognition.