North African Echo

Ever since the once-mighty French battleship Richelieu limped into New York harbor six weeks ago with other ships of the French Navy (TIME, Feb. 22), New Yorkers have sympathetically watched, wined, dined and entertained the French sailors cavorting on shore leave. Easily recognized by the red pompon on their blue caps, the sailors strolled arm in arm up & down Broadway; they crowded the tiny French restaurants in the East Fifties, chatting with waiters, bartenders, barflies. Some started learning a few simple words of English (see cut), some gave their blood to the Red Cross.

Some began deserting their ships to join the Fighting French forces of General Charles de Gaulle. By last week the desertions had mounted to 15 to 20 a day; there seemed no stopping the sailors who wanted to fight the Germans at once on any sort of ship.

One night flying squadrons from the U.S. Immigration Service made a quick round of bars and small nightclubs, picked up twelve sailors who had signed with De Gaulle. Hustled off to Ellis Island, they were charged with illegal entry into the U.S.

A howl went up from Manhattan newspapers ; almost with one accord they asked "Why?" The arrests had been requested by the U.S. French naval chief, Vice-Admiral Raymond A. Fenard. Said the Fighting French: the sailors enlisted not for bribes or bonuses, but for moral reasons. Total enlistments: under 200.

At week's end it seemed that the twelve interned sailors might be released to join the Fighting French, if no more sailors desert to the Fighting French. The French sailors' ambiguous position was a direct result of the ambiguities of U.S. policy in North Africa.

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