General De Gaulle

In Noumea

WHEN General de Gaulle, once the famous leader of Free France (1940-45), landed in N T oumea on Sunday, September 9, he was on the scene of some of the dramatic incidents of the struggle between Free France and Vichy France, in World War 11.

Probably, he met Henri Sautot, most lovable of elderly Frenchmen, now living in retirement in Noumea.

Sautot, then Resident Commis sioner in New Hebrides, was the very first French Colonial Governor to rally to de Gaulle, after the sur render of Vichy France in May, 1940. Sautot’s example was followed by New Caledonia and French Oceania and soon Sautot, as Gov ernor of New Caledonia, was leader of the French in the South Pacific.

Now that de Gaulle is among us, he perhaps will give us the key to one of the war-time mysteries of French administration here.

Why did de Gaulle, in 1940-42, twice supersede the loyal and courageous Sautot —by sending Brunot (“an undistinguished wind bag”) in early 1941; and, a year later, after Brunot had been got rid of, by introducing the former monk, d’Argenlieu, who almost pre cipated a revolution before he, too, was got rid of?

D’Argenlieu exiled Sautot; as even after d’Argenlieu himself ■ kicked out, de Gaulle alloc Sautot to remain in exile. W\ Sautot was the co-operative frit of both Americans and British, i were the allies of de Gaulle. Bru and d’Argenlieu, if they were Vichy-ites, and were not crazy, w certainly no friends of the West; Allies, and caused much trouble embarrassment.

Maybe General de Gaulle, a= all these years, would like to plain that 1940-42 situation to little group of well known men New Caledonia, who were so she. ingly maltreated by “the i monk.”