Drastic Steps in France
The first clear sign that all was not well in France came when M. Paul Reynaud announced drastic changes in his Cabinet. To those who could read between the lines there had already been an indication of anxiety in Mr. Churchill's sudden visit to Paris at a moment when he had not fully com- pleted the formation of his Ministry. M. Reynaud by putting himself in the " most exposed post," the Ministry of National Defence, has concentrated in his own hands powers similar to those assumed by Mr. Churchill ; and he has sought to fortify his position and win the confidence of nation and Army by bringing in the aged but wise Marshal Petain, the victor of Verdun, the restorer of the French Army in 1917, as Minister of State and Vice-President of the Council. M. Daladier goes from the Ministry of Defence to that of Foreign Affairs, and the office which now assumes immense importance, that of the Ministry of the Interior, goes to M. Mandel, who stood by Clemenceau's side in the last war, and is credited with similar qualities of courage, severity and stern patriotism. But more remarkable than these Cabinet changes, and more indicative of the fact that a grave crisis of a military character had arisen was the displacement of General Gamelin and the appointment of General Weygand to be chief of the French General Staff and Commander-in-Chief in the field. General Weygand, now aged 73, was Foch's Chief of Staff, and the man who helped Poland in 192o to defeat the Red Army.
Previous page
