London v. Bordeaux

Not every Frenchman -- and no Englishman -- accepted the Compiegne armistice terms. In London General Charles de Gaulle, the 50-year-old Under Secretary for War in Paul Reynaud's Cabinet, who for years had argued in vain for greatly expanded mechanization of the Army, appealed for continued resistance to the Nazis. "This capitulation," he said over the radio, "was signed before all means of resistance had been exhausted. This capitulation delivers into the hands of the enemy, who will use them against our Allies, our arms, our warships and our gold. . . . There is no longer on the soil of France an independent Government capable of upholding the interests of France and the French overseas." Acting on this premise, General de Gaulle set up a Provisional French Na tional Committee in London, dedicated to helping Britain to the end. Winston Churchill, who earlier in the week had said he would not deal in recriminations because he judged them "utterly futile and even harmful," supported General de Gaulle's stand. The tough old Briton expressed "grief and amazement" at the terms to which Bordeaux submitted. He urged all Frenchmen "outside the power of the enemy" to repudiate the armistice and fight on.

Premier Petain retorted that Winston Churchill was trying to divide France "at a moment when the country suffers. . . .

Mr. Churchill is the judge of the interests of his country, but he is not judge of ours." Charles de Gaulle, who was made a colonel only three years ago, a general five weeks ago, was promptly demoted, discredited and threatened with court-martial by the Petain Government. But in the French Empire, Charles de Gaulle --whether General or just Monsieur--had quite a following.

The French Near East Army in Syria, Frenchmen in Indo-China, threatened by Japan (see p. 28}, in Shanghai, in Martinique and Guadeloupe in the West Indies, St. Pierre and Miquelon off Newfoundland, Chandernagor in India--large groups and tiny minorities alike--declared they would fight on beside Britain.

With this encouragement, Britain openly broke with Bordeaux. A BBC announcer said in French: "His Majesty's Government find that the terms of the armistice . . . reduce the Bordeaux Government to a state of complete subjection to the enemy and deprive it of all liberty and all right to represent free French citizens. The Government therefore now declare that they can no longer regard the Bordeaux Government as the government of an independent country." The de Gaulle committee was recognized as the true French Government.

At this the Bordeaux Government be came sensationally bitter. Minister of In formation Jean Prouvost read a statement in English: "We regret that certain mem bers of the British Government criticize us unjustly. We wish our English friends to respect our sadness and examine their own conscience." Before the war, asserted M. Prouvost, Britain had promised to send over 26 divisions; but when the test came, France kept men 48 years old under arms while Britain failed to mobilize 28-year-olds. Finally the French Minister went so far as to lump the Ally with the Enemy: "We ask [England] not to make London a nest of agitation by politicians and separatists. Our foreign policy will not be dictated by England, Germany, or Italy."

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