Evening star., 1941-11-18
(Second of a series BY an As
sociated Press correspondent re-
Gently returned from Paris
BY ROY P. PORTER.

cently returned from PdrtS.)
BY ROY P. PORTER.
France today is a country where
you keep your mouth shut-literally
or run the risk of going to Jail.
Particularly in the occupied zone,
freely expressed approval or criti-
cism of any phase of ofiicial or mill
tary activity may lead to arrest or
denunciation.
1t extends even to an unoficial
prohibition against speaking Eng
lish in public places.
Some of the unfriendly feeling Of
French people toward Americans
arises from discomfort over the
present situation and a desire to
blame somebody, even unreasonably,
for Frances defeat. Despite United
States assistance in the World War
and despite willingness to accept
shipments of food and medical sup
plies from this country to the occu-
pied zone, some Frenchmen believe
! America should help soften the hard
| times the country is now going
through.
Propaganda Against U. s.
/ German propaganda In occupied
France. too, has constantly criti-
/ cized the United States. protesting
/ that Americans are making too
much money out of the war while
Frenchmen 60 hungry.
The peculiar feature of the situa-
ton is that an unconsidered remark
among strangers often may be in
terpreted several ways, with un-
pleasant consequences attached to
each
For example. a Frenchman was
talking to a dinner companion In a
Paris restaurant one night not long
ago. They were discussing the en-
trance of Japanese troops in French
Indo- China.
The damned Japanese have
finally gotten in," he said. Il sup
pose the old marshal knows what
he's doing but I sometimes won
der. But I can see how we couldn't
help Indo-China defend herself
Twice Deep in Trouble.
Those expressions got him into
trouble in two different ways, and
the next morning-because he was
we'll known in Paris-he was taken
into custody by French police for
questioning.
A German officer in civilian
clothes reported he had expressed
anti-Axis sentiments by referring
to the damned Japanese A
Frenchman-a strong supporter OF
the Vichy government-who over
heard his remarks told a friend in
the prefecture of police that Mr.. x
had criticized the marshal by call
ing him "old" and intimating he
perhaps did not know what he was
doing.
Mr.. x explained to French de-
tectives that his remarks, although
careless, were harmless, and he was
/ released after he had signed a
statement admitting he had made
the remarks, but denying he in
tended to offend any one But now
he has an official French police
record. and If he is reported again
he already will have one black
mark against him.
Americans Have Suffered.
Americans in the occupied zone
| have suffered-some Of them Sc
verely-from this system Of denun-
ciatory reports. Sometimes 1t orig
mates with the French police. acting
either independently or under Ger
man supervision, sometimes directly
from the German authorities.
One woman in the now small
American colony was sent to the
Sante Prison in Paris for question
ing, remained there for more than
two months and finally was SEN
| fenced to an additional four
months. She was still in prison
when I left occupied territory.
She went to a large restaurant.
much patronized by Germans, with
a French woman friend one night.
She was we'll known to the head
waiter who tried to find a table for
her. He finally located a small one.
On either side were tables with
German officers and several Of their
secretaries.
She looked around the restaurant,
then turning to her friend, said in
bitter tone: Il can't understand
why all the tables here always have
to be taken by German officers. You
would think few OF us might like
to eat occasionally"
She was put in Jail the next
morning-and has been there since
Only her husband has been allowed
to see her.
An American businessman, known