| OCR Text |
Show I NEW CALEDONIA . . . Reaction to Laval The first positive and active aftermath after-math of the Laval situation in Vichy was shown when the United States troops landed in force on the strategic stra-tegic Free French island of New Caledonia in the Southwest Pacific. There had been a small garrison of Free French on the island, and it was announced that the considerable consid-erable American force landed there. The DeGaullists had only recently seized the island, and still more re cently American state department officials had issued recognition. There had been bitter protests from Vichy. The island, part of the New Hebrides group, lies in the direct di-rect line of supply between the United Unit-ed States and Australia. Tnere had been a French naval base at Noumea, capital of the island, is-land, and the New Caledonia metal resources were described as considerable. |
