NAZIS & VICHY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 May 1942, Page 4

NAZIS & VICHY

SIGNS OF GROWING PERPLEXITY INCREASED DEMANDS. LAVAL MOST INSECURELY PLACED. (Special P.A. Correspondent.) (Received This Day, 12.40 p.m.) LONDON, May 27. David Low sums up the situation in France in a cartoon showing the pompous Mussolini sitting on the struggling Laval, who is lying on a prostrate Petain. Hitler squats, directing them, holding sheaves of papers marked “More collaboration.” Low’s caption is: “The Squeeze Process.” / There are various views on the position, one being" that Laval knows Mussolini cannot act without Hitler’s consent,- while Laval may have received some assurance from Hitler, probably in return for promises to help Germany. Another viewpoint is that Hitler is in a dilemma as to how to reconcile his two evasive junior partners, for he wants to squeeze maximum advantages from both, but has to balance Italian military aid against French economic collaboration. Events on the Russian front may make military help from Italy of more immediate value to Germany than the long range and dubious advantages of economic aid from France. An opinion is also expressed that despite Laval’s fawnings on Germany, she realises that she has failed to make real headway in securing French collaboration in the prosecution of the war, while, since Laval came into power, active resistance and sabotage have increased and Germany’s Western front is less secure than it was six weeks ago. There is such a maze of intrigues in Vichy that summing up the position is difficult, but from the Allies’ point of view there are' definite? 1 and encouraging signs that France is steadily recovering her spirit, aided by doubts as to whether Germany can win, even if helped by the' French Fleet. One American view is that history may show that the St. Nazaire raid was the turning point for France. The townspeople hailed the commandos as liberators in arms who had appeared from nowhere. The general opinion is that Laval thus far has made an extremely bad bargain for France, Vichy and even for Germany. There are signs that events are moving too fast for him and that unless he guides and dominates them more his days of power may well be numbered.