Word: darlan
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Strategic Retreat. The crisis in Franco-German relations had come at last. It had been brewing since December, when the Marshal dismissed Pierre Laval-a politician of the sort that Adolf Hitler can deal with. The Marshal's trusted aide, Admiral Jean Darlan, was in Paris conferring with Laval and with Hitler's Ambassador, Otto Abetz. Admiral Darlan was empowered to offer Laval reinstatement in the Government on an equal footing with himself and War Minister General Charles Huntziger, the Marshal retaining supreme authority. That was the Marshal's strategic withdrawal to positions he had previously prepared...
VICHY--Admiral Jean Francois Darlan tonight became French vice-premier and foreign minister in a stop-gap cabinet shakeup which is expected to pave the way for Pierre Laval's early return to power in the Vichy regime...
What happened next depended on the stiffness of the Marshal's spine. He sent his new No. 2 man, Admiral Jean Darlan, to Paris to try to soften Hitler's demands. The Admiral had no sooner arrived than he stated flatly: "I affirm that the French Fleet is absolutely and will remain under complete French jurisdiction and that it will defend the Empire against any challenge whatsoever." But Admiral Darlan had authority to agree to Laval's reinstatement provided Marshal Pétain retained supreme power...
VICHY-Armed with a threat to send the formidable fleet to Africa beyond Germany's reach Admiral Francois Darlan arrived in Paris to seek a compromise on the Nazi-supported demands which would install Pierre Laval as virtual dictator of France...
...French Navy Minister and Chief Under the proposed compromise Petain would surrender to Darlan his direct control of the government, remaining only as titular chief of state, and Laval would be brought back into the Vichy regime in a secondary role...