Evening star., 1932-02-28
BY G. III. ARCHAMBAULT.

PARIS, FrarSe-France continues to
be puzzled by the United States and
by what is called by moderate opinion
here "the contradictions of American
mentality" and by extreme nationalists
American unscrupulousneSs." AS may
be imagined, all this turns on the ques-
tion of reparationS and debts.
The truth of the matter is that
France remains very ill-informed re-
garding America and persists in as
Stunning that statements by unauthorized
individual Americans commit the whole
Nation or, at the least, are representa-
tive of the bulk Of opinion in the Unit
ed States. Many of the misconceptions
which persist here may be ascribed to
this lack of well-founded information.
The majority of the French news
papers, only one of which has its own
service of American news, give promi-
nence to any statement favoring French
policy. regardless of the weight. or lack
of weight, of the speakers, and seldom
print anything interpreting the general
trend of American opinion. They do
this not of set purpose, but simply be-
cause they receive nothing else from the
very meager sources of information at
their disposal.
Take Views as Official
The consequence is a widespread
tendency to reason from the particular
to the general, to assume that speeches
by men without responsibility represent
the views of official Washington, and to
build up a conception of the United
States which at times may be dia-
metrically opposed to the reality. When
argumentation evolved from such prem
ises proves false because the premises
are false there is great diSillusionment,
and the belief grows that America is
tickle under the influence OF anti
French propaganda"
AS a specific instance, it is no eXag-
geration to say that in the French mind
the accusation of American f1ckleuesS In
the matter of war debts rests IN great
part on a speech by the late Walter
Berry as president of the American
Chamber of Commerce in France. In
this country Chambers of Commerce
are Official institutions under govern
mental control, for which reason the
utterances Of their presidents carry
some weight. ManifeStly an American
Chamber or Commerce is entirely diff
ferent. but the French do not know that
and the foreign Office i'll Paris does not
consider it within its scope to explain
such points to the pubic.
Walter Berry's speech dates from
1918. It was Fourth of July ora
ton. 1t was delivered in French in
the presence of leading personalities
of the French state. In this speech
Mr.. Berry, after laying stress on the
fact that France had been fighting
our war" proceeded to say:
ANY loans made to you during this
time was like lending money to our
selves. Therefore these loans must be
written of to the last dollar After
the war we shall be prepared to replace
the ships lost on our behalf and to pro.
vide you with all necessary means Il
recoup your shipping trade. Seeing
that your cities have been pillaged fol
us, your mills fired and your factorie:
dismantled, it will be incumbent on u
to rebuild them. And We shall do 1t
And when we shall have done all thi'
we shall return home thanking Francs
for having saved the world from pan
Germanism."
At the death of Walter Berry th'
American Chamber Of Commerce