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5 - Promises of Independence

Operation Exporter and the Struggle for the Levant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2022

Rachel Chin
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow
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Summary

One of the most significant sources of Anglo-Gaullist tension throughout this period was the future independence of the French mandated Levant territories (Syria and Lebanon). Operation Exporter (June-July 1941) was the first protracted battle fought by Anglo-Free French forces to secure French territory loyal to Vichy. It also marked a resurgence of imperial rivalry that escalated over the next four years.

This chapter introduces another complicating factor into the Anglo-Free French relationship: anti-imperial nationalist movements and their demands for independence. It explores Britain’s policy of pressuring de Gaulle to endorse full independence for both states. British policy-makers attempted to manage the rhetoric of Arab nationalism in order to preserve Britain’s regional influence. They removed references to an inherent Franco-Levantine bond from official Free French statements. They also directed the British press to avoid any mention of the Anglo-Egyptian treaty due to its broad unpopularity. The Free French, reliant upon British monetary and military support, had to acquiesce to British demands to preserve their outward legitimacy.

Type
Chapter
Information
War of Words
Britain, France and Discourses of Empire during the Second World War
, pp. 136 - 171
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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