Word: peyrouton
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...Most notable recent arestees: Pierre Etienne Flandin, ex-Foreign Minster under Marshal Pétain; Marcel Peyrouton, ex-Minister of the Interior under Pétain; Pierre Boisson, turncoat Governor General of French West Africa, who fired on a joint British-Free French landing at Dakar...
...also his croquet partner, James Clement Dunn. Dapper, slick-haired, 53-year-old "Jimmy" Dunn married into the Armour packing family, gives lavish receptions, likes European nobility, wears the right clothes. In the past he supported the Franco regime, backed Marshal Henri Pétain helped Vichyite Marcel Peyrouton. On his record, he has been anti-Soviet...
When General de Gaulle arrived in North Africa in May, Peyrouton found public opinion veering away from Giraud. He decided to switch sides. He approached an influential colonial family with contacts in the De Gaullist camp. A plan was devised. Peyrouton would send a letter of resignation to De Gaulle, who would accept, give Peyrouton an army commission. Later, his good faith and patriot ism established, Peyrouton would be returned to civil office...
...plan was executed (TIME, June 14). But when De Gaulle offered Peyrouton a commission as captain, the ex-Governor General was insulted. So he tried to save himself by sending another letter of resignation to General Giraud...
...results : Correspondents interpreted Peyrouton's first letter as evidence that De Gaulle had assumed power; Giraud saw the incident as a plot against his authority; De Gaulle felt that he had been tricked. Both sides got set for coups that never materialized...