The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-12-24
Pro-ANies of
France Bitter
to Pro-Naziis
Reaction Hard to
Understand in
Allied Circles
BY Waiter Krerkits

run IL \ 1 r l. FIbhNh NV
rocco-tDelayed)- Up A baby
faced boy OF IS bundled into an
overcoat which concealed the
French Foreign Legion uniform
that would have branded him a de-
serter. offered me a list OF French
men today.
I'VE want you to shoot them as
soon as possible" he explained.
Those on the list were pro.Vichv
Frenchmen. They had been in the
minority. but for two years they
had matters their own way and
ruled with an iron hand under Nazi
guidance. The fostering bitter
ness which has arisen between
them and pro-Allied Frenchmen Is
baffling problem for the ablest
diplomats with the American oc-
cupation forces in French West
Africa.
Before ! encountered that boy |
had been sitting at sidewalk cafe
filled with laughing. gleeful French
men. 1t was the 'pro-Allied' cafe
OF Port Lyautey. Across the street
was the "pro-Vichy" almost empty.
waited Two Years"
I'VE have had to whisper just
as they whisper in Germany and
France" an Allied sympathizer
told me. He was wearing the tri-
color badge his friends had broken
out when the American troops ar
rived
We've waited two long years for
you to come" he said, 80 we could
talk out loud once more"
There were sullen looks from the
pro-Vichy cafe. felt uncomfort-
able sitting there as though | had
stepped into a family feud. So |
left, and then | met the boy who
wanted to kill all pro-Vichyites.
He stopped me to inquire the
way to American Army headquar-
tiers. He answered my quizzical
look by opening his oyercoat just a
bit to reveal a glimpse OF the bright
uniform of the Foreign Legion.
81 have waited two years for n
chance to escape so | could hght
with the democracies again" the
boy said. When the Americans
came | ran away from my regi-
ment at Meknes and walked 80
miles here. Now will you tell me
where the Americans are?'
Had to be Returned
told him, but | knew he faced a
rude shock The American forces
had received scores OF French LIE
gionnaires-Poles, Russians, Czech,
and others-who had similar ideas
But the Americans had no facilitie:
to care for them and. technically
now that the armistice delegates
were meeting in Algiers, they wer,
under obligation to return These
lads to their troops.
Another problem Is what TO de-
with the merchants Of Morocco
who want TO do a little business as
usual with the help Of American
/
There are score OF first-class
shops in this modern colonial out
post OF 1900 persons, some fan
cier than those in an American
city OF similar size. From the hard
ware merchant to the beauty opera
tor, they told the same story to the
first Americans to arrive.
HNnU 20 ~, t.i,a nil {,,.t
something to sell" they said.
Received Little Goods
They pointed TO empty shelves
Virtually isolated since the fall o
France, little merchandise haC
reached them.
The population would like some
thing to buy. They have fall
amount OF staples like meat, fish
cereals and the like, which they
can produce themselves, but they
need clothing, other foodstuffs an
gasoline for their immobilized ma
chimes.
The ravages Of idleness are Wis,
Bile throughout Port Lyautey. IL
modern docks and warehouses one,
handled thousands Of tons Of ship
ping annually, sending millions q
dollars worth OF merchandise in
land to Meknes and Fez.
But when the Americans cam,
they found the machinery Of tn,
dock cranes rusted. Ships had beer
up the river for months or years
either informed or hiding.
Tho 49,.
American goods 10 speed up tn,
3 { n M