Evening star., 1947-05-24

XH @Rz/IE5S We would supply
TjN1Il Is air cover and even
naval task force
Gen. spaatz to help protect
the fleet If 1t moved out Of Toulon.
Entirely on my own hook held out the bait
of trip to the United States for his son who
was suffering from infantile paralysis I said
arrangements could be made to have the son
treated at the Georgia Warm Springs Founda-
tion.
The best the admiral could do was to assure
me that he would continue trying to get the
fleet and to promise again that under no cir
cumstances would his ships be turned over to
the Germans. He said that any movement on
the part Of the Nazis to actually seize the ships
would be countered by scuttling action.
II pledge my head that the swastika will
never ny over single French ship!" the ad-
| miral reiterated.
Spaatz Brings Message.
Gen. "Tooey" Spaatz new In from Gibraltar
with secret message from Gen. Eisenhower
confirming that he and were seriously on the
spot-particularly in England-over our rela-
tionship with Darlan. He warned me the case
was becoming the subject Of d vast amount Of
newspaper comment and closed with, II am
desperately anxious to come down there, but
| until this pressure from the rear stops, don't
see how can do it. Again I say that approve
| everything you have DONE"
cabled back. "If we had this to do over
| again, we would be forced to deal with Darlan
| as . military expedient in order to be free
| to move our troops to the east unhindered by
strife and disturbance in our rear area"
| was immensely grateful for Ikes presence
| In Gibraltar, where he absorbed all the heat
and left me to do the job with the feeling
I would be backed to the hilt, no matter whose
| feelings might be hurt In hindsight, the fact
| that we won takes away q lot of the onus,
! whatever one might wish to say about the
| ethics Of doing business with people of Dar-
| lan's stamp. At the time there was only one
| objective, winning the war, and little time to
| think of ethics.
| While continuing pressure on the French fleet
| on one hand, we turned Darlan's attention
| to French West Africa where we wanted not
| only to get control of the vital port of Dakar
on the peak of the South Atlantic bulge, but
| also to get what French naval units were
| there-particularly the uncompleted, but en-
| tirely modern battleship Richelieu. Darlan.
| in fairly short order. put over agreement
with Gov. Gen. Boisson OF French West
| Africa, which put Dakar in our pockets, in
cluding such choice additional plums as several
| cruisers, destroyers and submarines and $4,000
| trained troops including six air groups.
| We went to work in the same way on
| Admiral Robert in Martinique and Admiral
! Godfrey, who commanded the French feet
units interned at Alexandria. Egypt.
| Letter Brought From DarIan.
All went quite smoothly with the Little
Fellow" as had taken to referring to Admiral
| Darlan until President Roosevelt, in order to
| quiet the uproar at home, issued statement
that Darlan's position was to be only tenn
porary expedient. This brought letter to
me from Admiral Darlan that ran as follows:
November 23 1912.
| "My Dear General:
Information coming from various parts tend
to give credit to the opinion that I am but
lemon which the Americans will drop after
it is crushed
'In the line of conduct I have taken, out
of pure French patriotic sense, in spite of
the heavy inconvenience which are to result
for me from it, though it would have been
extremely easy for me to let events develop
without my Intervention, I, as q person. do
not count.
II did what did only because the American
government took the solemn engagement to
restore French sovereignty in its integrity as
it existed in 1889, and because the armistice
| between Axis powers and France was broken
by the occupation of the whole Of French
metropolitan territory, against which Marshal
Petain had solemnly protested
IT have acted neither through PRIDE nor
ambition, nor intrigue, but because the place
held in my country made it my duty to act.
Expresses Intention to Retire.
when French sovereignty in its integrity is
an accomplished fact-and hope it will be in
the least possible time-I firmly intend to 60
back to civilian life and to retire to end life
during which have eagerly served my country.
7 If this is the way can interpret the declara-
tions attributed to President Roosevelt, ac-
| cording to which an agreement with me can
be but temporary one, I completely agree
| But I have the perhaps excessive pretension
| of thinking that under present circumstances
it is around an association with such men as
| Gen. Giraud, Gen. Nogues, Governor General
| Boisson, Admiral Michelier that Africans can
unite for loyal and confident cooperation
with the armies, allies of French forces and the
people, union which forms an essential part
of the United States success in Africa.
Things being thus, the work of reuniting
all Frenchmen, which am undertaking for a
common aim would be very difficult for me If
Frances Allies were themselves to spread
doubts among Frenchmen concerning the in
terest and the scope of that work
IT hope I can trust the United States Gov
ernment to realize that, and were it only In
| view of the result to be expected In the
struggle into which French Africa is entering,
that it will not give Frenchmen the impression
that the authority of the Chief who makes it
| struggle again is diminished one.
with kind regards, I am, very sincerely
| yours (signedD, F. Darlan."
I showed this letter to Gen. Eisenhower and
when he next came to Algiers, he said to