Show France Hints at Attacks On De Forces VICHY France May 20 IP 4 France intimated Tuesday she is ready to fight to regain the African African African can colonies colonie seized by General Charles de free French forces with British aid With Vice Premier Admiral Jean Darlan en route to Paris Paris Paris- presumably to continue collaboration tion ion negotiations with German I representatives representatives' the o 0 official f I fie I C i a I 1 French Trench information office asserted assert assert- ed the time had come for France to recapture the territories taken over by the De rebels The statement which statement which followed by y only a few hours an announcement announcement announcement announce announce- ment Monday night that French antiaircraft batteries had begun firing on British planes over Syria declared emphatically t that hat h a t France cannot permit any foreign foreign foreign for for- eign government to intervene to frustrate this purpose It is necessary to underline one point that point that this program of rebellion is to be settled seWed solely between France and the rebels the information office said adding adding adding add add- ing that complete French sovereignty sovereignty sovereignty must be established over the lost territories There have been rumors in Vichy for some time that the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans have b been en pressing France to attempt to reestablish control of her colonies as one of the terms for agreement In London British expressed belief the Germans had instigated the Vichy statement They suggested suggested sug sug- France might hand back to Germany part of the African colonies of and the which the Germans lost in the World war and then grant nazi troops free passage across French possessions to bases from which they could strike a athe at atthe atthe the free French and British Beyond an acknowledgement that French antiaircraft batteries had fired on British planes over Syria th there re was no official comment comment com corn ment o or 01 developments in that tha French mandate The British have been attacking attacking attacking attack attack- ing Syrian airdromes where German German German Ger Ger- man planes admittedly have been landing with French approval en route to aid Iraq troops battling the British The information office statement statement statement state state- I ment however asserted that messages messages messages mes mes- I sages written by rebel French military leaders had been dropped on Syrian towns from British planes indicating that one of the objects of English politics isto isto is isLo to Lo separate Syria from metropolitan tan France |