North Africans mourn Darlan
By C. R. Cunningham, United Press staff writer
Allied HQ, North Africa –
Adm. Jean François Darlan’s murderer, a French citizen whose Italian mother lives in Italy, was to die at dawn today before a French Army firing squad approximately 40 hours after the No. 1 political assassination of World War II.
The French Imperial Council of which Darlan was High Commissioner announced that the assassin had been convicted and sentenced by a court-martial of the French 19th Military District which met at 6 p.m. yesterday.
Today, the council meets to name a successor to Darlan.
Giraud seen as successor
Gen. Henri Honoré Giraud, Commander-in-Chief of the French African fighting forces, was the man of the hour and it was accepted that all he had to do to take leadership – in which he undoubtedly would have the full support of Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s Fighting French who considered Darlan a traitor to France – was to say the word.
But there were strong indications that Giraud, a soldier with an abhorrence of politics, would elect to retain military leadership without the complications of other office.
Most prominent among others mentioned for leadership were Gen. Auguste Noguès, Governor-General of Morocco, one of the earliest North African adherents to the Allied cause, and Governor-General Pierre Boisson of French West Africa, the Dakar area, who was a close associate of Darlan.
Allied authorities ordered Darlan’s body taken during the night from the Government General Building at Algiers, where it lay in state yesterday, to the cathedral for a state funeral, after which it will be taken, probably this afternoon, to the summer palace to remain until a decision has been made on a final burial place.
French council meets
Thousands of Frenchmen, whose Christmas had been turned into a day of mourning, filed past Darlan’s casket throughout yesterday along with thousands of U.S. and British soldiers.
The French Imperial Council, whose members, including Gen. Giraud, assembled at Algiers by airplane from all over French Africa, held a preliminary meeting last night on the successful problem as the court-martial condemned Darlan’s assassin to death.
In its communiqué announcing the sentence the council said textually:
A court-martial of the 19th Military District met today [Friday] at 6 p.m. to try the assassin of Adm. Darlan.
The court-martial condemned the assassin to death and the sentence will be carried out tomorrow morning.
The assassin, who was caught in the act, made a complete confession. He insisted he acted without accomplices.
The assassin, whose name is being kept secret for reasons of military security, was of French nationality. Inquiry revealed that his mother is Italian and is now living in Italy.
Several letters between the assassin and his mother were seized but their contents threw no light on the case or the actual circumstances of the crime.
Eisenhower gives statement
The council’s statement was issued from the headquarters of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, U.S. Commander-in-Chief of the Allied forces, who returned to Algiers from a tour of the front as soon as he learned of Darlan’s death.
Gen. Eisenhower authorized the following statement:
Gen. Eisenhower has conveyed his deepest sympathies and regrets to Madame Darlan. As soon as Gen. George C. Marshall, Chief of the General Staff of the U.S. Army, had been advised [in Washington] of the assault on Adm. Darlan and prior to hearing of his death, he had promptly cabled that he was grieved and shocked by the news and said that Adm. Darlan had rendered services of vast importance to our Armed Forces.
Dies of two wounds
Darlan died of two wounds, one in the mouth, the other in a lung, caused by bullets from a .25-caliber pistol which the assassin fired in a corridor of the government building as Darlan was about to enter his office at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
Gen. Giraud was advised while ion an inspection trip[ of the French Army in Tunisia as he arriv ed in Algiers, and at once assumed responsibility for maintenance of order.
Spanish advices from Algiers, giving new details of Darlan’s death in a purported eyewitness story, said Darlan, in admiral’s uniform, was walking briskly along the dark corridor toward his office, after spending some time at the summer palace overlooking Algiers Bay, when the shots were fired.
Darlan had to pass a waiting room, the door of which was closed, to get to his office, As Darlan passed, the waiting room door opened and the youthful assassin came out, Madrid said.
The assassin opened fire with an automatic pistol. As the first bullet hit Darlan in the mouth, the advices reported. Darlan lunged at the assassin, but a second shot sent him plunging to the floor, blood covering his face and uniform.
The murderer leaped over Darlan’s body and dashed toward the outer door, shooting and wounding the admiral’s aide de camp. But he was seized by other officers.
Madrid reported that the assassin was a member of the French fascist militia of the Paris collaborationist leader, Jacques Doriot.
Yves Chatel, Governor-General of Algeria, assumed charge at Algiers pending Gen. Giraud’s arrival.
Gen. Noguès, Governor-General Boisson and other leaders arrived by plane.
Sultan offers condolences
As soon as they arrived, a series of conferences was started in which Gen. Eisenhower joined.
The Sultan of Morocco sent Gen. Noguès a message:
On learning of the painful news of the assassination of Adm. Darlan, we addressed to you very sad condolences, which we ask that you also convey to Gen. Bergeret.
Gen. Jean-Marie Bergeret, former Vichy Air Minister, who escaped to North Africa, was Darlan’s aide.
Gen. Giraud visited the flag-draped casket in the Government House chapel.
Allied soldiers file past
He snapped to salute before the casket, in which lay Darlan’s admiral’s hat, beneath the tricolor, then knelt in prayer and laid a wreath before the casket.
Four guards, representing the French fighting services, stood round the casket with drawn swords all day.
So dense was the crowd before and in Government House that the removal of Darlan’s body to the cathedral was postponed until last night.
Mass was celebrated at the cathedral at 9 a.m. today and afterward the casket was to be placed in front of the Church of St. Marie de Mustafa while French land, sea and air detachments filed past, followed by U.S. and British Army detachments.
While Darlan’s body lay in state at Government House, his aide, Gen. Bergeret, issued the statement:
Adm. Darlan has fallen at his post, victim of an attempt inspired by those who would not forgive him for responding to the wishes of the French people by taking up arms again by the side of the Allies against Germany.
In an earlier statement, Gen. Bergeret said:
The designs of our enemies will be foiled. This crime will not weaken our determination to liberate our country by force of arms. On the contrary, it commands us to gather all our strength for the only fight that matters today – the one which will free France.
In his capacity as Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Gen. Giraud assumed responsibility for maintaining order.
All attempts to create disunity will be mercilessly crushed.
Gen. Bergeret signed the statement in his capacity as Deputy High Commissioner.
Crowds cheer Giraud
It was announced that the first concrete token of Allied determination to aid French Africa had arrived at African ports in the form of a 12,000-ton cargo of milk, sugar, flour, potatoes and other foodstuffs for the civil population.
A United Press canvass showed that high-ranking French officials agreed that all Gen. Giraud had to do was ask for leadership if he wanted it.
Gen. Giraud was slated for leadership when the Allies first came to Africa, but he stepped aside in Darlan’s favor to assume command of the Armed Forces.
His popularity was made evident from the moment of his arrival in Algiers yesterday when crowds cheered him enthusiastically wherever he went.