AMERICAN WATCH

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 April 1942, Page 3

AMERICAN WATCH

ON EVENTS IN VICHY NATIONALS TOLD TO LEAVE. REPORTS OF GROWING UNREST IN FRANCE. LONDON, April 16. One report from Vichy says that the Laval Cabinet may be completed tonight. In Washington, Mr Sumner Welles. Assistant Secretary of State, is expected to give a full report on the French developments to Cabinet, which is meeting today. Washington is reported to have told American citizens to leave unoccupied France as soon as possible, but this does not apply to consular and diplomatic officials.

There is news of growing unrest in France. Forty Germans are reported to have been killed when a train carrying troops on leave was derailed. A Vichy communique states that the composition of Laval’s new Cabinet will not be made known until after the final meeting tomorrow of the retiring Council of Ministers. LAVAL AS AUTOCRAT SOME APPARENT LIMITATIONS. MORE ABOUT NAZI SCHEMES. LONDON, April 15. Pierre Laval’s powers in choosing the new French Cabinet, which will be responsible to him alone, are. virtually autocratic, and his authority in home affairs is absolute, says the correspondent of “The Times” on the French frontier. Admiral Darlan, as chief of the armed forces, is responsible not to Laval but to Petain, especially for preventing the French people from aiding an invasion if it were attempted.

Competent neutral circles, the correspondent says, express the opinion that Laval’s prospects of success in governing the actions of the French people are appreciable only if, in the first place, he is able to secure the release of the war prisoners; secondly, secure a line of demarcation between occupied and unoccupied France; thirdly, prevent the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, and finally, assure the retention of the other French frontiers; but no concession can be expected from Hitler on any of these essentials.

The Wilhelmstrasse has refused direct comment on the developments in Vichy, because it is unwilling to furnish any sign that Berlin has initiated and engineered the change of regime, but a spokesman did not attempt to conceal his satisfaction and even relief at the events.

Marshal Petain’s powers as only nominal head of the State have diminished, but his responsibilities are augmented, because he has been forced to give a personal guarantee that the French people will not give active support in the event of an Anglo-Ameri-can invasion. The Germans insisted on this condition because the recent intensification of the British air raids, notably on the Renault works, has greatly enhanced the military significance of even the unoccupied zone. Laval has been constituted personal guarantor for the unconditional collaboration of the whole of France with the Nazis.

Foreign circles in contact with the Vichy Government report that Marshal Fetain today is seeking means to avoid a break with the United States, says a message from Vichy. Laval, A . in the meantime, is in Paris, reporting progress to the Germans, and interviewingleading Frenchmen, some of whom may enter his Cabinet. The Paris radio today hinted strongly that France will soon formally announce a change in her international relations. It is presumed that this would be a declaration of solidarity with Germany.

ENORMOUS FIRE RAGING IN FONTAINBLEU. EFFORTS OF FIRE-FIGHTERS DEFIED. (Received This Day, 10 a.m.) LONDON, April 16. The Vichy radio reported that an enormous fire has been raging in Fontainbleu during the last two days, defying all the fire-fighters’ efforts. Two hundred and fifty houses have already been destroyed. Fontainbleu is the assembling centre for' French volunteers for the Russian front and has a large German garrison.

TERRORISM IN FRANCE FOLLOWS LAVAL’S RETURN TO POWER. (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 16. Simultaneously with Laval’s return to power, a wave of terrorism has broken out in occupied France, says the British United Press Vichy correspondent. A train carrying German troops was derailed and forty Germans were killed. Two attacks have been made against Germans in Paris and two in a northern industrial area. The Germans executed a man at Liege for terrorism and imposed a curfew at 8 p.m. at Verviers, because of terrorist activities.