Even then Roosevelt half-expected some unknown leader to emerge from the liberated territories and claim the legitimacy of the government of the republic. But it was de Gaulle the French people wanted. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander, grasped this reality and moreover had none of Roosevelt’s personal dislike of the general. To FDR’s consternation, Eisenhower allowed de Gaulle’s Free French forces the honor of entering Paris first.
