commanders. to eisenhower's right, general omar bradley. senior american ground forces commander in europe. direct american subordinate. to his left, general de gaulle's immediate overall military commander. these men on that morning of august 22, as the truce was completely falling apart in paris, had a discussion and they made the determination that the conditions in paris were such that they could not bypass the city. eisenhower sent word to the combined chiefs of staff, senior american british commanders, his superior officers, informing them of his decision. to eisenhower's credit, he couched this message to the chiefs of staff in a way that precluded debate, that precluded counter orders coming down and saying you are not going into paris. was eisenhower said was, in essence,