COLD SHOULDER

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 106, 29 January 1943, Page 5

COLD SHOULDER

Algiers Newspapers And de Gaulle

(Received January 28, 7 p.m.) LONDON, January 27.

As far as the North African Press is concerned, General de Gaulle might just as well have stayed away from the Casablanca conference, says the United Press correspondent at Algiers. The newspapers not only cut out his photograph from a group of Mr. Churchill, Mr. Roosevelt, General Giraud, and himself, but buried in an inconspicuous corner the fact that he was there at all. Every Algiers newspaper carried large photographs of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Giraud. with Giraud sitting In the centre. The newspapers stated that General Giraud discussed plans for French North African participation in the war, aud that he obtained promises from Mr. Roosevelt as to priority of weapons. As the first tangible result of meetings between General de Gaulle and General Giraud, missions will be exchanged between the Fighting French in London and General Giraud’s headquarters in North Africa, says the Press Association’s diplomatic correspondent. It is understood that the .missions will be small, and will comprise mainly military and economic liaison officers, who will not deal with the complex political ques tions which still exist. The decision to appoint the missions was taken at a meeting of the French National Council, to which General de Gaulle, after his return to Britain, reported fully on h;s meetings with General Giraud. . Claim by Noglies. A claim that he obstructed the .German disarmament commission in North Africa for two years, and succeeded in concealing much modern armament belonging to the French Army in Morocco, was made by General Nogues in an interview with Ward Price, of the “Daily Mail.” He said that not a single ease of betrayal occurred. As a result he was able, after the Allied lauding, to send '15,000 troops from Morocco to fight in Tunisia, with tanks and guns saved from confiscation by the Germans. “I was able to keep Morocco free from German penetration, so. that it will now serve as a starting point, for the cam paign to liberate France,” be said. In the House of Commons today the Foreign Secretary. Mr. Eden, said that the earlier strict censorship on outgoing Press messages from North Africa, iniposed for reasons of military security, had now been relaxed, and newspaper correspondents and radio commentators were allowed wide: discretion, in their reports on the political situation. British correspondents received the same treatment as their American colleagues.

CLEAR SETTLEMENT

Announcement Forecast (Received Janunry 28. 9.10 p.m.) NEW YORK, January 27.

Informed circles expect that a specific settlement, of the North African political situation will be announced supplementing the vague communique, says the New York ‘‘Herald-Tribune's’’ Washington correspondent. The settlement will end discord mid ensure military success in eliminating the Axis from North Africa and enable concentrated air attacks to lie made against Italy.

Observers point out that Ike largo Royal Air Force raids on Berlin occurred 48 hours after the conference began on January 14. Mr. Churchill and President Roosevelt no doubt ordered tile raids as part of the comprehensive war plans which were then under discussion. The minor reference to China in their communique is not interpreted to mean Hint China or the South-west i’aeilic will piny second liddle, but. it is apparent that blows against Germany will come first while a holding action is fought againsl Japan.