France, though a beaten State, still regards itself as sovereign, whether or not any other nation does. The Government at Vichy promulgates laws, regulates commerce, commands the lives of 20,000,000 citizens in unoccupied France and the hopes of 20,000,000 others in the occupied zone. Vichy also sends diplomatic envoys to foreign sovereign States. In interim diplomatic relations with Germany, France has definite bargaining points which, though they might mean suicide for France, might also mean serious checks and stumbles to Germany. Last week sovereign France used these points to advantage in her first post-armistice crisis...
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