The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-01-18
. Clapper
Us q Nice Kettle of
Fish IN North Africa
French Political Mess
Beginning TO Smell
No Longer q Case
Of Horse Trading
May Be Campaign TO
Discredit Eisenhower
BY RAYMOND cLAPrR


BY RAYMOND CLAPrR
WASHINGTON-It Is a nice
kettle of fish that our boy from
Kansas, Lieut.. Gen. Ike Eisen-
hover, has got into in North
Africa, with an uncomfortable
number Of Germans In front OF
him and a horde OF sniping for
eisn politicos at his back.
On this mess in North Africa.
she attitude of officials here has
bean that the less said the better.
They have been quite frank In
discussing the situation with cor
respondents sufficiently interested
10 inquire, but they have dis
souraged public discussion. How
ever, 1t n all coming out from
London, and the smell Ia begin
ming to be noticeable.
In Kansas language. the British
want to set up DE Gaille and the
French National committee as a
kind Of puppet trustee French
government with Its temporary
seat in North Africa. This new
French government would assume
title to the French empire and
to the French assets which have
been impounded and would get
itself set to move on into France
eventually and take over.
The United States is opposed
to setting up any French ma
tional government now. Our gov
eminent believes that decision
should wait until the end OF the
war when the French people are
liberated and can choose their
own government In the mean
time we would prefer to see Gen.
eral Eisenhower devote himself
exclusively to the North African
military campaign, while depend
ing on local French authorities
there to continue their normal
governmental functions. We don't
want to recognize a French ma
tional government headed by
De Gaulle or anyone else at
present.
That roughly. Is what the
trouble Ia all about. London
newspapers are becoming heated
UP about It. Some of our people
think q campaign Is on to dis
credit General Eisenhower and
make way for recognition of the
London backed De Gaullist French
National committee. The sniping
IL 20 active that our military
Is concerned because It distracts
General Eisenhower. He has a
full-sized military Job to do over
there without trying to work his
way through a vicious sample of
transplanted French politics.
That's the picture without any
soft music, and the censors may
stop It from going outside the
country as they stopped what I
wrote about India. II you butter
1t up and sprinkle sugar on 1t
they'll let 1t out. But II you try
TO tell 1t straight the censors put
q full stop against you and your
name Is mud. ! always suspected
that was the state departments
work.
A rather tight political censor
ship has been In effect out OF
North Africa We have had prac-
tically nothing worth reading out
Of there on this funny business
except Ernie Pyle's two highly
informative and eye-opening dis
patches. How they got through
- q mystery. Somebody must
have been mapping. because no.
body else has got 1t out. Radio
commentators over there are
pathetic with their attempt TO tell
the facts through censorship,
which allows only broad mysteri-
ous hints to get through. You
have assassinations and reported
plots of assassinations and then
nothing but censored mystery.
Most Of US have been inclined
10 ride along with the policy of
letting the North African thing
alone. A hard military opera
ton Is ahead. We are in a
delicate diplomatic situation. You
don't want TO throw monkey
wrenches around just to pretend
that the press is still free. But
It Is coming out from London
with q British accent. Nobody
win know now whether II would
have been better or worse to let
the facts out in the first place
instead Of allowing them to tester
under suppression. You give the
government the benefit of the
doubt as long a. you can.
Anyway 1t 10 bad enough now.
President Roosevelt and Prime
Minister Churchill need to do
some very effective collaborating.
We haven't driven the Germans
out of North Africa. The United
Nations stiIl have to be shaped
into something more than a name.
We have to find way to deal
with realities such as this one
IN North Africa Instead Of play
ing It as a horse trade between
London and Washington, why isn't