Marching Orders: The Untold Story of How the American Breaking of the Japanese Secret Codes Led to the Defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan

by Bruce Lee

From Vichy, France, the Japanese ambassador reports to Tokyo that he has met personally with Adm. Jean Darlan, who says the fleet will not be moved from Alexandria. If the fleet is attacked, Darlan said, it will probably have to be scuttled since the vessels are obsolete, undermanned and have been anchored so long that their speed has been seriously reduced. The Ambassador also quotes Darlan as saying that, prior to the fall of France, he had offered to send certain ships that were now at Alexandria to “protect” the British fleet in the eastern Mediterranean. Darlan “can never forgive the present treacherous actions and breach of faith on the part of the British.”