"We took that decision and it was decision to which with aching hearts but with clear vision we—unitedly came. Accordingly. yesterday morn-_ ing, after all preparations had. been' made, we took the greater part of; the French Fleet under our control—(prolonged cheers}—or else called upon them with adequate force to comply with our requirements.
"Two battleships, two light crusefers, some submarines, including a very large one, the Sureouf, and approximately 200 smaller but extreme-useful "mine-sweeping and antiaircraft vessels, which sy for the most part at Portsmouth, were boarded by superior forces after brief hhotice had been given wherever possible {o their eaptains—(Cheers).
"This operation was successfully carried out without resistance andi Dlovdshed except for one instance where a seule arose through a mis-Understanding of the submarine 'Surcout, in which one British leading. seaman' was Killed, two British officers and one rating wounded, one French officer also killed and' one: wounded, For the rest, the French sailors for the most part cheerfully' accepted the end of the period of} uncertainty.
"From 800 to 900 expressed ardent desire to continue the war. Some asked for British nationality, This} we are ready to grant without prejudice (0 other Frenchmen numbered bby the thousands who prefer to fight fon with us as Frenchmen, "The rest of the crows will be immediately re-patrioted to French ports when the French Government is able to make arrangements for their reception by permission of their German rulers, "We also are repatriating French cops in this country except those who of their own free will have volunteered to follow General de Gaulle and enlist in the French forees of liberation of whom he is "Several French submarines joined us independently and we accepted
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.