Evening star., 1942-04-19

While not unexpected. the return Of
Pierre Laval TO effective power in France
Is the most disturbing political develop
ment yet produced by this fsteful spring.
1t closely follows, and is not unconnected
with. the almost equally disconcerting
rebuff received by the British in India.
Much as Japan gained an important
diplomatic victory by the refusal of
Indian leadership to collsborste with
Great Britain, so Nazi Germany scores
heavily by the elevation OF the outstand-
ing French advocate of collaboration
with the Axis. 1t is unqueStionsbly
ominouS that Marshal Petain, like Pandit
Nehru, has now decided against further
efforts to placate Anglo-American
opinion.
Thus there is brought to the fore the
threat which has been latent ever since
the collapse of France in June. 1910.
For nearly two years Papa" Petain has
worked CALAMITY and ceaselessly to pre-
serve for France as much political inde-
pendence as the armistice. terms inflicted
upon that country would allow. Current
developments indicate that this essential
part of his program has failed.
Nonetheless there should be SYM
pathy for the aged hero OF Verdun, now
on the eve Of his seth birthday. Ger
tainly his well-meaning efforts have
had little help from those in this country
who have turned so ruthlessly against
France in the period Of her agony.
Laval . Parallel of Hitler?
Lavals relationship to Petain is now
forebodingly similar to that held by
Hitler to Marshal Won Hindenburg during
the latter's closing days as President of
Germany. The sly French politician, like
the shrewd Nazi fanatic, is climbing to
dictatorial power out of the wreckage
of national disaster by gradual displace-
ment of a weary old warrior whose honor
remains untarnished even though his
strength has failed under the strain Of
an impossible and thankless task.
There is little doubt that the rise OF
Hitler could have been averted by q more
sympathetic foreign attitude toward the
grievous problems of the German Re-
public. In the midst of war it has been
more difficult to help defeated France in
way which would have blocked Lavals
intrigues. But the fact that 1t has
taken nearly two years OF conquest to
wear down French reluctance to collabo-
rate with the Axis is significant. 1t indi-
Gates that more might have been done
to strengthen those In France who have
opposed the course to which Vichy now
turns.
Anglo-American denunciations of Laval
are today In order, and are In large part
justified. They will do less than nothing
for the cause of victory, however, unless
balanced by understanding of the factors
which have helped to produce the present
situation. One-sided criticism will only
evoke one-sided recriminations, and
thereby play into the hands of the
Nazis, happy for any development which
may help to foment actual hostilities
between France and her former Allies.
Among the factors which have oper-
ated in favor of the Franco German CO.
operation the rigorous blockade has been
most instrumental Cut off from all
other international contacts, France has
inevitably been forced into the German
economic orbit. For nearly two years all
French commerce has perforce progress
sively adapted itself to an emergency
condition now threatening to become an
established system. No other alternative,
except extinction, has been open.
U. s. Food Might Have Changed Case.
1t is reported that German threat
to cut of food supplies was part of the
pressure which brought Laval to power.
If carefully supervised American food
shipments, as under the Hoover plan, had
been permitted, such pressure would not
have been effective. There would today
be gratitude rather than cynicism toward
the United States in France.
But the decision was to force the
French people to become utterly de-
pendent upon Germany. Laval is the
result and beneficiary of that policy.
Almost as potent a factor as the
hunger blockade has been the series of
attacks on French warships, merchant
shipping, harbor facilities and lately ON
factories forced to produce for Germany.
Justifable though these bombings are, it
must be admitted that a different view