"Prior to the landings De Gaulle had made it clear that he wished to be definitely recognized as the ruler of France, and claimed that he alone had the right to give orders to the people of France. Once the landings had taken place these difficulties did not diminish, and the Joint Chiefs during their stay in England had a taste of these complications when De Gaulle undertook to change the regulations about the use of United States currency in France by American troops. The Joint Chiefs sent General Koenig, who, as the commander of the French forces of the interior, was serving as a direct subordinate of Eisenhower's in the Allied organization, and asked him what the difficulty was. It appeared that Koenig could not see De Gaulle's point either. As Eisenhower was troubled about the correct manner of managing civilian affairs in France until a proper organization could be set up, he asked the Joint Chiefs what to do, and they proposed that he at once send a message to the President, suggesting that if De Gaulle would not cooperate properly, another Frenchman be designated to manage French civilian affairs, and that De Gaulle be ignored, entirely. The Joint Chiefs did not stay to hear the answer from the President, but later that evening they received word that he had concurred."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Military leaders from FranceLegion of Honour recipientsHeads of governmentPresidents of FrancePrime Ministers of France
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Ernest J. King and Walter M. Whitehill, Fleet Admiral King: A Naval Record (1952), p. 551
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_de_Gaulle
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"The Polish soldier is a marcher of extraordinary endurance."
"At this historic moment I deem it a privilege and honor to extend to you greetings and congratulations upon your inau…"
"Looks like a king in exile."
"Leahy was by no means ready to accept the tall, vainglorious Frenchman as the natural leader of French interests. In …"
"Mr De Gaulle is very much a realist, even very realistic."
"Did it have to come to this? The paradox is that when Europe was less united, it was in many ways more independent. T…"
"Don't ask me who's influenced me. A lion is made up of the lambs he's digested, and I've been reading all my life."
"The evolution toward Communism is inevitable."
"Leahy also watched with dismay as General de Gaulle's militant supporters eclipsed the leaders Leahy believed had the…"
"De Gaulle has an excellent library, I took a look at it in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. He is a very smart man, is a ve…"