Verrier Anthony. Assassination in Algiers: Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle, and the Murder of Admiral Darlan

W.W. Norton and Company, 1990. — 304 p.The assassination of Admiral Francois Darlan on Christmas Eve 1942 is one of those events that gets mentioned in history books, but usually without much elaboration beyond that it happened, and that Darlan's death cleared the field for de Gaulle, who wound up leading the Free Frech movement unchallenged. Darlan was Marshal Petain's deputy in the Vichy French government for a while, and then contrived to be in North Africa when the Allies launched Operation Torch and overran the place. He convinced the Allies (notably Eisenhower's protege General Mark Clark, and his diplomatic deputy Robert Murphy) that he was the only person who could provide stability in North Africa, and began ruling the provinces in the name of Marshal Petain, still in metropolitan France, and soon a guest of Hitler. Darlan was a shady character, an admiral who wound up being best known for his political maneuvering, and his flexible ethics--within the same year he met Hitler and pledged support to the Third Reich, and then met Eisenhower and pledged support to the Allied cause--made him a slippery character at best, and one the Allies knew they couldn't trust. His death benefited the Allies in general (though the Americans, according to the author, weren't aware of it at the time) and De Gaulle in particular, leaving him an almost completely clear field in his run for leadership of the Fighting French movement. This book is an examination of Darlan's killing, and the events that led up to it.The Fall of France.
The Lean Year.
1942 Une Place d’armes.
On the Eve.
Darlan’s Triumph.
“The Urgency of Elimination”.
Darlan's Death.
Epilogue. Algiers : January to June 1943.Sources.
Notes.