synarchy movement of empire book ii - Pierre Beaudry's Galactic ...

press, was a clamor demanding that the Roosevelt severe all relations with
the Vichy government. Langer had an intelligent response to this reaction:
"Unhappily, the line taken in public discussion was an almost
exclusively ideological one, demanding a break with fascism and [an]
unqualified support of de Gaulle and the Free French. Why, asked Samuel
Grafton, in his popular column, do we recognize fascism, when it is called
Hitler, but not when it is called Petain? "Why does a simple change of
names that would not fool a hotel clerk bewilder our State Department and
throw it off its track and make it seem virginal, ignorant and naïve?" "We try
at one and the same time, " he continued, "to chuck fascism under the chin
and to scold our people for not rising in higher anger against it; we want the
people to roar while Leahy coos and lifts his glass in a toast to the ferrets
who rule France." (Langer, Op. Cit., p.173.)
The lesson to be learnt, here, is the very important point portending to
the nature of covert operations, such as the French Resistance. The U.S. had,
in fact, decided to join the {diplomatic resistance}, and the newspapermen
who were clamoring their ideological beliefs to shape public opinion were
very useful in helping Roosevelt keep this cover intact. The British did not
publicly back up de Gaulle for the same reason.
Langer makes the point of discretion about the U. S. collaboration
with Fighting France: "In so far as the Free French were actually fighting the
enemy, we agreed to support them in a discreet way. In July of 1941,
arrangements were made for the purchase by the Free French of non-military
goods required by the French colonies. Even military supplies were made
available, but only through lendlease channels by way of the British until, on
November 11, 1941, President Roosevelt proclaimed: 'I hereby find that the
defense of any French territory under control of the French Volunteer Forces
is vital to the defense of the United States.' In other words, American
support in material, if it was not assured to Free French movement as such,
was at least assured to the colonial territories sunder Free French control.
Farther, at the time, the government was not prepared to go." (Langer, Op.
Cit., p. 175.)
It is not clear exactly when Marshal Petain decided to "secretly ally"
himself with Roosevelt. One likely time was July 1941 after President
Roosevelt had sent him a message, warning him not to make any
concessions to Hitler in North Africa. Germany was attempting to go beyond
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