Evening star., 1940-10-13
By LLOYD LEHRBAS.

France today Is face-to-face with
life or death.
Defeated, demoralized and falter-
ing, the once proud French repub-
lie Is fighting against terrific odds
to maintain itself rs an independ-
ent and unified nation.
And while the French are doing
everything possible to maintain the
spark Of life in the French nation,
they realize only too bitterly that
their fate hangs in the balance OF
the European war, In battles and
words and events over which they
have no control.
The Frenchman's life from day
to day. and the future Of France.
depend, they believe, on names and
things :, the Battle Of Britain,
Germany's ambitions, the colonies,
the occupied and unoccupied zones,
food and pending the final de-
cision they can only grope through
the lights out" hours that enshroud
Europe.
Most Frenchmen to whom I
talked-and foreign observers-see
no hope for France in the future
If the axis powers win.
Germanys ambitions and acts
make 1t starkly plain to them that
II and when Germany and Italy
conquer Europe the France Of yes
terday will become q mere depend
ency of the greater Reich, q colony
Of tillers and toilers maintained to
supplement German economy and
power.
While awaiting that final de-
cision. with hope and fear, the
French are trying to dnd themselves,
to organize 4 new and virile gov
eminent from the chaos that fol-
lowed the French army's catastro-
phic defeat, and to chart . course
through the innumerable and dan
gerous currents and shoals inside
and outside that segment Of Europe
still called France.
French Reveal Own Doubts.
The remnants Of France, slashed
by German invasion and occupa-
ton, is oficially described as "the
French state" Philippe Petain, "a
year r-old marshal Of France and
head Of the government installed at
Vichy, the temporary capital, signs
decrees rs "Chief Of the French
State"
In that shadowy characterization
of their government and its chief
the French reveal their own doubt.
The death warrant Of the French
republic was signed when parlia-
ment voted itself out of existence
and granted Marshal Petain full
power to write-and rule under-a
totalitarian constitution.
And, although Marshal Petain has
full power, France is-not yet-a
dictatorship in the sense Of Ger
many or Italy. No one processes to
know whether-if Germany loses
France will rise from its ashes as a
kingdom, q dictatorship, a republic,
or evolve into some new and un-
named form of government. There
are signs and portents of all those
possibilities, but the die has not yet
been cast.
Until peace comes to Europe again
most Frenchmen to whom talked
pray and hope that the marshal will
have the strength, ability and power
to hold the crumbling French ma
ton together.
In Vichy and throughout unoc-
cupied France I heard much dis
satisfaction over specific acts and
measures taken by the Petain-
Laval government. A majority
seemed to believe, however, that
whatever It's mistakes and short
comings Marshal Petain's govern
ment presented the only hope for
the immediate future of France
Many dislike the enforced regi-
mentation which has dislotated and
changed their daily lives. Many
complain at the severe food re-
strictions.
Many look askance at the anti
Jewish propaganda and DEGREES and
At the Implications of the many
arrests and the forthcoming Riom
trials.
Many are bitterly opposed to the
stringent censorship of their daily