WARM APPROVAL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 18 March 1943, Page 4

WARM APPROVAL

OF GENERAL GIRAUD’S SPEECH EXPRESSED IN BRITAIN AND UNITED STATES. WAY OPENED TO FRENCH UNITY. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 10.5 a.m. ) RUGBY, March 17. Answering questions in the House of Commons, Mr Churchill expressed the Government’s warm approval of General Giraud’s recent speech, and particularly of his repudiation of the armistice with Germany, and subsequent legislation in France. “In view of General Giraud’s speech and the memorandum of the French National Committee, it now appears that no question of principle divides these two bodies of Frenchmen,” said Mr Churchill, who added that he understood the United States Government entirely agreed with the statement he was making, of which they had been informed. While Mr Churchill was speaking, Mr Cordell Hull, in Washington, issued a statement along similar lines. QUICK REPLY MADE BY GENERAL DE GAULLE. LIKELY TO GO SOON TO ALGIERS (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.5 a.m.) RUGBY, March 17. General de Gaulle lost no time in replying favourably to General Giraud’s speech and official invitation to meet him. A statement by the French National Committee says: “General de Gaulle has made a friendly reply and the National Committee considers that the union of the empire and expansion of its war effort, in liaison with the entire French resistance movement, in conditions consonant with the dignity of the nation, are now progressing favourably. In view of the fortunate trend events in North Africa have now taken, it may be expected that General de Gaulle will shortly leave for Algiers.” COMMENT IN LONDON LONG PRELIMINARIES DRAWING TO A CLOSE. (Received This Day, 10.20 a.m.) LONDON, March 17. General Giraud’s speech and offer to collaborate with General de Gaulle have given wide satisfaction. It is expected and hoped that a meeting between the two generals will eventuate, though at the moment nobody apparently is willing to forecast when it will be. The “Daily Telegraph,” commenting, says: “There is a definite prospect that the long drawn out preliminaries to an effective union between all Frenchmen fighting the Axis outside Europe are coming to a satisfactory close. In fairness to General Giraud, it must be pointed out that the duration of these preliminaries was inherent in the situation he found in North Africa.” The newspaper adds that perhaps the long interval between the meeting at Casablanca and the meeting now in prospect has not been wholly wasted, for the slate on which the two generals are able to write is cleaner. The main difficulty of arranging a meeting between Generals Giraud and de Gaulle so far has been that General de Gaulle hitherto has coupled with such plans a demand that certain questions of principle should be settled first. General Giraud has already carried out or announced reforms which go far to meeting the Fighting French demands. The withdrawal from office of General Bergeret and M. Jean Rigaud is regarded as a further step towards achieving identity of principles. General Bergeret, who was Assistant High Commissioner for North Africa, has been criticised for his proVichy sentiment and M. Rigaud, who was his political adviser, has been accused of obstructing collaboration with the de Gaullists.