'Based on extensive research, Chin offers a nuanced and fascinating new examination of Franco-British relations during the Second World War. War of Words presents a compelling analysis of how empire lay at the heart of a symbolic contestation in which political rhetoric shaped the course of Franco-British rivalry and cooperation.' Karine Varley, University of Strathclyde
Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. From the Dunkirk evacuations to the Franco-German armistice: Renegotiating the Franco-British alliance; 2. The real question at issue.: British policy and the French fleet; 3. A necessary tragedy? The British bombardments of the French fleet at Mers El-Kébir; 4. Vichy, the free French and the battle for imperial influence at Dakar in September 1940; 5. Promises of independence: Operation exporter and the struggle for the Levant; 6. Operation torch: American influence and the battle for French North Africa; 7. Independence on French terms: The 1943 Lebanese parliamentary crisis; 8. Holding on to empire: The French bombardment of Damascus, May 1945; 9. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.