The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-11-13
New York
Listening Post
Loyal French Paved
Way for Eisenhower
Business Moving
To Washington
Shell-Shoek Cases
Cause Concern
BY ALBERT y. LEHMAN

Of all times" declared a prominent
official of the Fighting French in
New York, some Of my deluded
eountrymen were firing upon Unit
ed States troops whose fathers In
1918 saved France from the
Boches. Nothing In this war is
more shameful. This same Petain
who ordered his men to kill Amer
leans did not so much as lift his
little finger against the Jsps when
they invaded French Indo-China. !"
There Is another side to the pic
ture: Thousands Of compatriots
of the late Marshal Foch risked
their necks TO prepare the way
for General Eisenhower. De Gaul-
list headquarters in the u. S. A.
now reveal that IT flooded Mo-
rocco and West Africa with under
ground agents who listed military
constructions. harbor soundings,
reinforcements. defense locations.
sirfields, food depots. water holes
and roads: and also whispered
words which undermined the local
Laval clique. Their findings were
rushed to London and included
maps and logistic plans for the
A.E.F.
Had it been possible to attack
earlier only a handful of regu-
lars might have opposed us. But
Darlan for nearly year has been
wedding out those with demo-
cratic loyalties and leaving 100,-
600 Predetermined and Foreign
Legion mercenaries approved by
Germany. The Fighting French
predicted that even these would
quit after token resistance. A
similar situation prevailed among
Madagascar's 1,4oo garrison SOL
diers. Two hundred were slain,
but when the survivors were given
a choice $50 joined the United
Nations.
The attitude Of civilians will
affect our final occupation status.
De Gaullist scouts explain that the
older white inhabitants of North
Africa, reared under an auto
cratic colonial system, have no
faith in democracy. They were
especially hostile to the Paris
Popular Front and lingering ami
mostly inclines them toward Pc
tain. Government employees obey
any regime paying their salaries
and pensions. For months every
one who showed open sympathy
for the free world was jailed or
exiled, but the number of our
friends secretly increased.
Pro-Vichyites are torn by sew
eral disaffections: They hate the
Italian immigrants and express
contempt for the people of Span
ish Morocco. They suspect that
France intends to steal their ter
ritory either directly or through
a deal with Berlin. They take
great pride in their own national
achievement and fear Hitler's ulti-
mate schemes concerning them
they are against ALL outsiders.
Since the election day defeat OF
the New Deal future relations
between merchants and Washing
ton are being earnestly discussed
in Wall Street. Many of the dol
lar-a-year and other key mana
gers were so fed up with parti-
san Donnybrook Fairs and ham
pering red tape that they would
have chucked their thankless jobs
long ago but for patriotism. To-
day some of the big industrial fig-
ures want their men to stick II
out-not as punching bags Tor
bureaucrats and rabble rousers
but as full partners of Uncle Sam.
A New York leader illustrates
the point by repeating the words
Of Josiah Stamp. The famous
English financier admitted that
American executives in public life
are of a superior brand. But
declared the Britisher, though
smaller nation we have 10 times
the number trained in both trace
and diplomacy. You chaps con-
eentrate on commerce, manufac-
turing and the like and shun state
craft. We fill parliament and the
cabinet with our own class ana
thus win and keep sound legisia-
ton"
Manhattan's downtown sane
tums realize that for years they
abandoned the capital to "polih-
cal brokers" who earned their
bread and butter kowtowing 10
pressure blocs. In the past wnen-
ever anything was sought IN
Washington q corporation hireo
an ex-congressman or lame-duck
lobbyist who knew the ropes. since
we are heading for a mixed econ
omy in which private enterprise
and government must cooperate
or face social and financial chaos
don't be astonished to discover
that business has moved TO the
District Of Columbia-to stay.
Why did the Axis Afrika Korps
turn tail and fee7 There were
more causes than modern Ameri-
can weapons and the skill and
vaIor Of the British Imperials-
One OF the worlds great special
lists Of nervous diseases Is no"
in New York consulting with the
II & Medical corps concerning