More Change at Vichy
A new Cabinet, still without M. Laval, has been formed at Vichy. There are only five principal Ministers, among them M. Bouthillier, who is a friend of Great Britain, as Minister of Finance, and M. Barthelemy, who is not, as Minister of Justice. The spokesman of the Vichy Government has announced that the new Cabinet intends to follow a policy of Franco- German collaboration. That is an accepted formula, but Marshal Petain has, in face of all pressure, consistently refused to accept collaboration in the German sense—that is to say, he will not go beyond the armistice terms ; he will not hand over the French fleet to Germany, or give Germany bases in northern Africa. If, moreover, the reconstructed Government is not yielding to Germany it is scarcely likely that it would yield to Italy, or grant Mussolini's request for the use of Tunisian territory as a refuge for the remnants of his dis- comfited Libyan army. Indeed, it is stiffening its attitude in all spheres of foreign policy. It is backing up the Indo- China Government, and is reported to have rejected extravagant Japanese demands for the cession of territory to Thailand Unsympathetic as the Vichy Government still is to this country its position is strengthened by every British success and by the help that is coming to Britain from America. It can hardly fail to realise that the future well-being of France depends on a British victory, and that Germany is still the real enemy.
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