DEMOCRACY DEAD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 November 1940, Page 5

DEMOCRACY DEAD

ACCORDING TO LAVAL FRANCE’S FUTURE STAKED. ON COLLABORATION WITH NAZIS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, October 31. The French Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister, M. Laval, in a statement in Paris • today, said that Franco-Ger-man collaboration would embrace colonial in addition to economic questions. France would shortly prepare a precise answer to the German questionnaire. M. Laval revealed that he and two other members of the Vichy Cabinet today had important technical conversations with the German military and political authorities in Paris. In an interview before his meeting with Hitler, M. Laval declared that democracy everywhere was dead and that he aimed to stake France’s future on collaboration with Germany. M. Laval returned to Vichy from Paris today. He is reported to have said that he brought away ‘‘touching memories.” The French Ambassador to Washington, M. Henry Haye, has assured the United States Assistant Secretary of State, Mr. Welles, that the United States need not fear attempts to change the sovereignty of French possessions in the Western Hemisphere. He gave an official denial that Germany sought the transfer of certain French possessions in Africa. DEFEAT OF BRITAIN DESIRED. A Paris broadcast stated that it must not be expected that collaboration with the Germans would suddenly bring a remedy to all their troubles. A Press representative who interviewed M. Laval said he had received the definite impression that M. Laval desired the defeat of Britain as a corollary to Franco-German collaboration. In Washington the Vichy Ambassador has again been assuring the State Department that Vichy would not give in to Berlin’s demands, and that there was no need to fear any change of sovereignty in French possessions in the Western Hemisphere. The 8.8. C. states that M. Laval has returned to Vichy from Paris. There is no further news of the discussions between Vichy and Germany. Representatives of Vichy outside France continue to deny that agreements have been reached under which France will give up territory and make naval and air bases available to the enemy. The official German News Agency has issued a denial that Syria will be occupied by German and Italian forces.