The Case of General Giraud
So much obscurity surrounds the movements and intentions of General Giraud since his escape from Germany that there is not much wisdom in going beyond such facts as have been established. General Giraud, who as a free man is (or would be) the outstanding French general free today, did certainly escape from imprisonment in Germany, did certainly reach Switzerland, and did certainly, after short stay there, cross the frontier into Vichy France. All that is beyond doubt. It seems to be almost equally beyond doubt that he has been to Vichy itself and talked with Petam, been to Moulins, close to the dividing-line between Occupied and Unoccupied France, and talked there with Abetz, the German representative in Paris, and after that gone to Lyons, where his family has been living. The report that the Germans have demanded his surrender, and that Main refused it, may or may not be true. The suggestion that the Germans let him escape for purposes of their own is scouted by the Free French in this country, and all General Giraud's history refutes the assumption that he would lend himself in any way to German manoeuvres. It remains true that the General's escape is an event of the highest potential importance, but it is surrounded with such uncertainties that for the moment there is nothing to do but wait on developments.
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