Word: darlan
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...Admiral Darlan claimed no direct credit for scuttling the French Fleet at Toulon; he did not pretend in this interview that he had ever thought of handing it to the Allies before they entered North Africa. Said he: "After the Armistice the Fleet had orders to scuttle their ships before allowing them to fall into alien hands. So long as I was in command, the order stood and was renewed from time to time. The current Laval government opposed that order. Therefore it was probably the Admiral [Jean de Laborde] commanding the Fleet at Toulon who issued the order...
Could the Germans ever persuade French sailors to take any salvaged ships into combat against the Allies? Snapped Darlan: "Definitely...
...Give the Weapons." Last fortnight the official Radio Morocco proclaimed Admiral Darlan "Chief of State in French Africa." Last week, using the more modest title of High Commissioner, he said: "The people of North Africa feel that America will liberate them from the Germans. They believe the coming of the Americans will mean a happier life for them. Our armed forces are anxious to fight against the Germans again. But they do not want to fight under conditions that prevailed in 1940. They need tanks, planes and modern equipment. It would be in the best interests of the United Nations...
...Admiral Darlan confirmed the hunch that U.S. Admiral William Daniel Leahy had a good deal to do with the African campaign. As long as a year ago, said Darlan, he and Admiral Leahy-then Ambassador to Vichy, now President Roosevelt's personal Chief of Staff-discussed U.S. intervention in Europe and its effect on the French. Admiral Darlan said that if the U.S. had then had 500,000 equipped troops available in Europe, "we could have acted differently...
...Darlan was asked how he and the Americans were getting along, now that the situation had changed. The Admiral beamed and said: "Every day I want to congratulate myself on all my relations with all United States authorities here...