London, May 24.
Admission that Colonel Collet has crossed into Transjordania from Syr-a is contained in an official Vichy news agency despatch from Beirut. Denying reports that Free French forces have arrived in Syria, the despatch says these reports were a cloak to hide preparations for a "concrete move which was attempted during Wednesday and Thursday night.
"Under the pretext of exercises, Lt.- Colonel Collet. commander of tribal levies. made his troops carry out a movement designed to draw them across the frontier to join British forces from Transjordania. When they observed that they were crossing the frontier, the majority of the effectives refused to desert and returned to Syrian territory. One squadron which followed Lt,-Colonel Collet was surrounded by troops guarding the frontier and the commanding officer made prisoner. Two French officers who tried to prevent isolated men from crossing the frontier were killed Ninety-five per cent. of the tribal levies were back at their posts today (Friday)."—Reuter "N.C.D.N." Photo.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.