Winston Churchill pressed for action by the Free French to turn French colonies from Vichy.

 The target was Dakar in West Africa; the main reason being that it could become a base threatening shipping in the Atlantic.
A show of force by the Royal Navy was planned coupled with a landing by de Gaulle's troops which, it was hoped, would convince the Vichy defenders to defect.
Spears accompanied de Gaulle on the mission, Operation Menace, with orders to report directly to the Prime Minister.
However, security had been lax and the destination was said to be common talk among French troops in London.

While the task force was en route, it came in sight of a French fleet – including three cruisers – on its way from Toulon to Douala to recapture French Equatorial Africa which had declared for de Gaulle.
Surprised, the French fleet sailed for Dakar instead, thus making the outcome of the expedition much more uncertain.
Churchill was now of the opinion that the project should be abandoned, but de Gaulle insisted and a telegram from Spears to the Prime Minister stated, "I wish to insist to you personally and formally that the plan for the constitution of French Africa through Dakar should be upheld and carried out."

On 23 September 1940, a landing by de Gaulle's troops was repulsed and, in the ensuing naval engagement, four British capital ships were damaged while the Vichy French lost two destroyers and a submarine.
Finally Churchill ordered the operation to be called off.
The Free French had been snubbed by their countrymen; de Gaulle and Spears were deeply depressed, the latter fearing for his own reputation – and rightly so.
The Daily Mirror wrote: “Dakar has claims to rank with the lowest depths of imbecility to which we have yet sunk.”
De Gaulle was further discredited with the Americans and began to criticise Spears openly, telling Churchill that he was 'intelligent but egotistical and hampering because of his unpopularity at the War Office etc.'.
John Colville, Churchill's private secretary, wrote on 27 October 1940, “It is true that Spears' emphatic telegrams persuaded the Cabinet to revert to the Dakar scheme after it had, on the advice of the Chiefs of Staff, been abandoned.”
Winston Churchill pressed for action by the Free French to turn French colonies from Vichy. 
 The target was Dakar in West Africa; the main reason being that it could become a base threatening shipping in the Atlantic. A show of force by the Royal Navy was planned coupled with a landing by de Gaulle's troops which, it was hoped, would convince the Vichy defenders to defect. Spears accompanied de Gaulle on the mission, Operation Menace, with orders to report directly to the Prime Minister. However, security had been lax and the destination was said to be common talk among French troops in London.
While the task force was en route, it came in sight of a French fleet – including three cruisers – on its way from Toulon to Douala to recapture French Equatorial Africa which had declared for de Gaulle. Surprised, the French fleet sailed for Dakar instead, thus making the outcome of the expedition much more uncertain. Churchill was now of the opinion that the project should be abandoned, but de Gaulle insisted and a telegram from Spears to the Prime Minister stated, "I wish to insist to you personally and formally that the plan for the constitution of French Africa through Dakar should be upheld and carried out."
On 23 September 1940, a landing by de Gaulle's troops was repulsed and, in the ensuing naval engagement, four British capital ships were damaged while the Vichy French lost two destroyers and a submarine. Finally Churchill ordered the operation to be called off. The Free French had been snubbed by their countrymen; de Gaulle and Spears were deeply depressed, the latter fearing for his own reputation – and rightly so. The Daily Mirror wrote: “Dakar has claims to rank with the lowest depths of imbecility to which we have yet sunk.” De Gaulle was further discredited with the Americans and began to criticise Spears openly, telling Churchill that he was 'intelligent but egotistical and hampering because of his unpopularity at the War Office etc.'. John Colville, Churchill's private secretary, wrote on 27 October 1940, “It is true that Spears' emphatic telegrams persuaded the Cabinet to revert to the Dakar scheme after it had, on the advice of the Chiefs of Staff, been abandoned.”
Edward Spears