Death causes grave anxiety here
Roosevelt brands act ‘murder in first degree’
By the Associated Press
The hand of a Christmas Eve assassin, abruptly ending the career of Adm. Jean Darlan yesterday, also ended an international argument over the usefulness of the former Vichy leader to the United Nations’ cause in French Africa.
The assassin’s bullets, however, injected a new element of violence into a situation already complicated and delicate, and caused grave anxiety to government leaders here.
President Roosevelt promptly recognized the menace of such an act in a statement denouncing it as a cowardly “murder in the first degree” and calling for swift and just retribution.
Observers familiar with the role assassins have played in the spread of war and terror throughout Europe watched intently for further developments which might indicate whether Adm. Darlan’s murder was:
-
An isolated act of personal or political vengeance, or
-
The first of a series of assassinations calculated to create an atmosphere of turbulence and terror in French Africa compelling Americans, French and British forces there to concentrate on maintenance of internal order.
Motives not clear
Should the latter be the case, the threat to Allied hopes of driving the Axis out of Tunisia would be grave and immediate.
It was far from clear what motives lay behind the slaying or what persons, factions or enemy intriguers have a hand in it.
One fact on which most reports agreed was that the assassin was a young man – perhaps 20 or 22 – and this description had a most familiar ring. It suggested the typical political assassin who has figured in so many tales of intrigue, revolt and terror in post-1920 Europe – the fanatical young gunman of the Nazi, fascist or Iron Guard school.
However, the Algiers communiqués indicated authorities were still uncertain whether Italian or German inspiration lay behind the deed.
White House statement
There was no comment from the State Department, but President Roosevelt interrupted a quiet Christmas eve observance in the White House to issue this statement:
The cowardly assassination of Adm. Darlan is murder in the first degree.
All leaders of all the United Nations will agree with that statement.
Nazism and Fascism and military despotism hold otherwise. I hope that speedy justice will overtake the murderer or murderers of Adm. Darlan.
Fighting French officials here were shocked by the news of Admiral Darlan’s death, but hesitated, pending receipt of fuller information from Algiers, to suggest any explanation or to attempt any evaluation of its possible consequences.
They showed interest in a report that Gen. Jean-Marie Bergeret of the Imperial Council in North Africa had appealed to all Frenchmen to unite now in the fight against the Axis, but they withheld comment. Nor did they express any opinion on the possibility that Gen. Henri Honoré Giraud, commander of French forces im North Africa, might win Fighting French support as successor to Adm. Darlan.
Mission arrives here
Members of a French military supply mission, who arrived in Washington from North Africa a few hours before Adm. Darlan’s assassination was announced, could not be reached for comment.
The mission, headed by Gen. Emile Béthouart, was understood to have come here to advise War Department officials on supply problems of French African troops. Gen. Béthouart, who has been liaison officer at Allied headquarters for Gen. Giraud, was among the French leaders credited with aiding the Americans and British in the North African invasion.
Regardless of who might emerge as the new high commissioner for civil administrator in French Africa, no basic change in American policy there was expected.
During the weeks of controversy over Adm. Darlan’s status after he cast his lot with the Allies last month, both President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Hull repeatedly made clear that the situation in French Africa was primarily a military situation and that it would be up to the people of a liberated France to decide, after victory, what leaders and what form of government they desired.
Free French coup year ago
An ironic feature of the sudden development in North Africa was that it was exactly one year ago that another sudden development on French territory startled Washington in the midst of the Christmas holidays. This was the Christmas Eve coup of a Free French naval force which on Dec. 24, 1941, seized the islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Newfoundland, which until then had been under control of Vichy.
Not since the outbreak of the war ended the interventionist-isolationist debate has any one subject been fanned into as intense a flame as the Vichy-Darlan question.
The Darlan situation itself was fed by the long-simmering ire of many political leaders and well-known writers over the State Department’s placid attitude toward Vichy – an attitude which some commentators said was vindicated in the North African coup.
But when the famed pro-Nazi and anti-British admiral himself was won over to the Allied cause by American persuasion, and the fact that he was to walk side by side with the Americans was announced the storm really broke.
Vandenberg backed Britain
At various times, members of Congress arose to state their opinion and at least one – Senator Vandenberg (R-MI) spoke out openly in favor of backing the decision of the military officials in charge of the North African venture, even if it meant playing along with Adm. Darlan.
Anti-Darlan spokesmen contended that by lining up with the former Axis collaborationist. American leaders would undermine the spirit of the “underground" in occupied countries and arouse distrust on the part of some of our Allies.
Those who took the opposite view held that the alignment with the French admiral gained time and saved lives in the North African invasion, and thus was justifiable. They contended military chieftains on the spot were qualified to judge the wisdom of the move and should not be “hampered" by internal strife over the case.
The storm was still raging when the assassin’s bullets ended Adm. Darlan’s life.