French Governor And

Us Forces

MONSIEUR Christien Laigret, Governor of New Caledonia from Sept. 1943, to February, 1944, and more recently Governor of the North-West African col ony of Mauretania, has been appointed Governor of the Middle Congo.

M. Laigret became unpopular with the Americans in New Caledonia because he criticised their discipline, charging the negro troops with molesting French women.

M. Laigret made his charges at a Press conference which US correspondents had requested. He praised the good conduct of the New Zealand Army 3rd Division and the 400 Australian commandos.

Asked how many “incidents” were being reported in which Americans were in volved, he replied: “About one a day.”

The US commmand denied bad behavi our of their servicemen, and held up the US correspondents’ reports for several days.

Washington sent a high ranking Army inspector to Noumea,and the US island commander, Major General Lincoln, de parted. His assistant, a Lieut.-Col., who had acted as censor and who was most unpopular with the French, was sent away. After the appointment of Briga dier-General William I. Rose as Island Commander, a most tactful and lovable man, with a fine war career in the Heb rides and the Solomons, relations between

the Americans and the French greatly improved.—P.