| Summary: | About twelve miles to the south of Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula, there are two small islands, called St. Pierre and Miquelon which have belonged to France for nearly four centuries. In June of 1940 when France succumbed to the onslaught of the Nazis, the territory, like all other French holdings in the New World, fell under the control of the Vichy French government. But on December 24th, 1941, the Islands were seized by a Free French Naval task force acting under the direction of Charles de Gaulle, who had ordered this action not only in direct contradiction to the expressed wishes of the Allies, but also after having specifically assured them that he would not attempt to undertake such a move. The result was a serious diplomatic crisis, the ramifications of which far outweighed any importance the Islands themselves may have had. For by seizing this territory de Gaulle had brought himself into direct conflict with U.S. policy regarding the Western Hemisphere and, in addition, created great difficulties between the Allies over the issue of U.S. recognition of Vichy, versus British support for de Gaulle. This thesis, then, will examine the events which led up to this crisis, and will attempt to ascertain what significance, if any, it had on the conduct of the war as a whole.
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