NORTH AFRICA: As They Were

Fighting French Leader Charles de Gaulle’s departure for French unity conferences in North Africa was delayed last week until Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden returned to London from the U.S. In good time Eden returned, saw De Gaulle. But the departure was still postponed. Fighting French headquarters announced this week that General Dwight Eisenhower had asked De Gaulle to “delay his journey.”

One diplomatic source in London indicated that a momentous decision on De Gaulle’s future status had been reached during Eden’s Washington conferences. The Fighting French apparently were not aware of it. They said that a settlement with General Henri Giraud could not be delayed “without serious disadvantages.” They were plainly but politely furious.