Editing Charles de Gaulle (section)

==== Government minister ====
On 5 June, the day the Germans began the second phase of their offensive ''([[Fall Rot]])'', Prime Minister Paul Reynaud appointed de Gaulle Under-Secretary of State for [[Minister of Defence (France)|National Defence and War]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9616752j/f2|title=Présidence du conseil: ministres et sous-secrétaires d'Etat|date=6 June 1940|website=gallica.bnf.fr|publisher=Government of the French Republic|access-date=24 September 2021|archive-date=24 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924125737/https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9616752j/f2|url-status=live}}</ref> with particular responsibility for coordination with the British.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cabinet Paul Reynaud|publisher=Assemblée Nationale Française|year=2008|url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/gvt3rep.asp#paulreynaud|access-date=2 November 2008|archive-date=25 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225090000/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/histoire/gvt3rep.asp#paulreynaud|url-status=live}}</ref> Weygand objected to the appointment, thinking him "a mere child".<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p190">Lacouture 1991, p. 190</ref> Pétain (deputy prime minister) was also displeased and told Reynaud the story of the ghost-writing of ''Le Soldat''.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p190" /> His appointment received a good deal of press attention, both in France and in the UK. He asked for an English-speaking aide and [[Geoffroy Chodron de Courcel]] was given the job.<ref>Lacouture 1991, p. 191</ref>

On 8 June, de Gaulle visited Weygand, who believed it was "the end" and that after France was defeated Britain would soon sue for peace.<ref>Lacouture 1991, p. 193. Weygand later disputed the accuracy of de Gaulle's account of this conversation, and remarked on its similarity to a dialogue by [[Pierre Corneille]]. Lacouture suggests that de Gaulle's account is consistent with other evidence of Weygand's beliefs at the time and is therefore, allowing perhaps for a little literary embellishment, broadly plausible.</ref> A day later, de Gaulle flew to London and met British Prime Minister [[Winston Churchill]] for the first time. It was thought that half a million men could be evacuated to [[French North Africa]], provided the British and French navies and air forces coordinated their efforts. Either at this meeting or on 16 June, he urged Churchill in vain to throw more [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) aircraft into the Battle of France but conceded that Churchill was right to refuse.<ref>Lacouture 1991, p. 194</ref>

On 11 June, de Gaulle drove to Arcis-sur-Aube and offered General [[Charles Huntziger]] Weygand's job as Commander-in-Chief. Huntziger accepted in principle, but de Gaulle was unable to persuade Reynaud to sack Weygand.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, pp195-6">Lacouture 1991, pp. 195–196</ref> On 13 June, de Gaulle attended another Anglo-French conference at Tours with Churchill, [[Edward Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax|Lord Halifax]], [[Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook|Lord Beaverbrook]], [[Edward Spears]], [[Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay |Sir Hastings Ismay]], and [[Alexander Cadogan|Sir Alexander Cadogan]].<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 198–200, 238</ref> De Gaulle was dissuaded from resigning by the Interior Minister [[Georges Mandel]], who argued that the war was just beginning, and that de Gaulle needed to keep his reputation unsullied.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p201">Lacouture 1991, p. 201</ref> Nevertheless, at around 9:00 on 17 June, de Gaulle flew to London on a British aircraft with Spears. De Gaulle later told [[André Malraux]] of the mental anguish which his flight to London – a break with the French Army and with the recognised government, which would inevitably be seen as treason by many – had caused him.<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 211–6</ref>