Imperial Valley press., 1945-02-21
SENSITIVE M. DEGA lle
SNUBS ROOSEVELT


News dispatches. guardedlY as usual.
have been reporting the homeward trip
of President Roosevelt from the 1alta
parley and "skirting' as well what the
President was doing enroute. The guess
ing contest went we'll enough until press
hints placed the President at Algiers, but
openly announced that the chief eXeeu-
tive had called Frances provisional presl-
dent, General deGaulle into conference.
somewhere the other side of London. Al
rumors of Roosevelt stopping off at Paris
had been quashed up to the moment OF the
planned parley, presumably at Algiers.
Then down came the veil of secrecy
with the bald announcement that de-
Gaulle had refused to meet the President
and all efforts to suppress the sensation
al event or the avowed meeting place were
to no avail and the press of Europe flared
with the news. Nor was the statement
vanished or dressed up one whit. Just
plain words to the effect that the French
leader had snubbed the chief executive
of one of the Big Three nations and that
so soon after the Yalta conference had
broken up, and where the way was paved
for United Nations, forty of them, at San
Francisco in April.
First reports of deGaulle's refusal
gave the reason merely that Roosevelt
invitation to meet him at Algiers had
been couched in unfortunate terms and
that at sounded more like a summons
than an invitation.
Much lies back of the incident. Most
likely de Gaulle's answer would have
been the same if it had been dual invita-
ton from Churchill and Roosevelt De-
Gaule was not included in the 1alta par
lev. either at the start or for secondary
or formal meeting. The French provl-
sional president left no doubt then that
he felt he had been snubbed, although at
no time was there any hint in the preliml-
nary plans for the Crimean conference
that any others than the Big Three would
take part. Indeed, it was called by the
trio and was not heralded as anything but
a council of the three big powers.
It did not help to soothe deGaulle's
ranked feelings that much was done at
Yalta in the way of establishing a Rus-
sian border and in the proposed method
of dividing Poland, West Prussia and
other territorial adjustments. Further
fuel was added to the fire when strides
were made toward future western boun-
diaries. the Saar and other areas OF vital
interest and importance to France.
The tenor of the negotiations looking
to pushing Germany back on the west,
under approaching peace terms, maue IL
clear that France may not be permitted
to even ask for this or that and that she
shall get no more in the re-shuffllng OF
areas than she has earned.
Which brings to the front the fact tnat
Russia not only has asked but has stated
what she will draw out of the magic hat.
Stain can go a long way in that direction
if his demands are measured by what he
has earned no matter whether the other
two of the Big Three thinks so or not
Leaving aside the real or imagined
feelings of deGaulle as to the tone of the
invitation to Algiers, the incident does
serve to reveal, at least the threat Of fur
ther problems in maintaining unity among
the United Nations. This was made more
manifest when it freely was bruited about
in European capitals that France will
decline to enter the San Francisco parley.