Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1944-03-17
Allied Command Aided
By French Underground
Quarter of Million Men in France Said to Be
Ready, Anxious and Able to Bear
Arms Against Germans.
BY BAUKHAGE
Necs Analyst and Commentator.

occupied French territory as it is lib
Grated, piece by piece; also of Gre
ating the machinery for the final
plebescite which will decide the per-
manent government.
Great Difficulties
The committee itself works under
great difficulties. Many of the men,
bers are utterly inexperienced in
politics and they have responsible
ties much greater than a normal
governmental body would have.
They must serve as an admnistra-
tive agency, they must serve as a
quasi legislative body, and they
must likewise plan regulations gov
erning procedure in the interim be-
tween liberation of France and the
time when free election is held.
The recent meeting of the assem-
bly, February 29) began the long
and complicated consideration of the
plans for the provisional govern
ment. One typical plan suggested
can now be described in some detail
although, of course, it is likely to be
modified as a result of the discus
sion in the coming weeks and
months, and in the application there
after.
1t covers, roughly, two phases.
First, is partial liberation.
Just as soon as the Allies have
taken over a portion of France and
the military organization moves for
ward, the French committee would
be placed in charge under this plan.
Immediately municipal officers would
be selected, councils for each mu-
nicipality. When an entire province
has been taken over, each munich
pal council already functioning would
select delegates to the assembly now
existing in Algiers. There are, at
present, about ITO members of this
assembly, composed of Frenchmen
who have been selected by the I'M
foreground organizations, by politi-
cal organizations and by labor and
other groups, and have been SNUG
gled into Africa. They would be
joined, or perhaps substituted by,
the newly elected delegates chosen
by the municipal groups of each
province. There would be approx
mately one for each 100000 inhabi-
tantS.
Finally, the day comes when Al
lied troops march down the Champs
Elysees and across the Seine to the
Place du Palais Bourbon. Then the
ancient building, which housed the
chamber of deputies of the Third
Republic, will open its doors to the
new assembly. By this time, it will
probably represent at least two
thirds of France.
Second Step
Now the second step of the plan,
now considered, will be taken.
The assembly will have reached,
depending on the populations liber-
ated, some 400 members.
Then the provisional government
Il use the word government" in
the European sense; we would call
it the cabinet" with an executive
head) would be chosen by the as
sembly. The national committee
would cease to be the executive body
but would assist the assembly, un-
der this chosen government, to work
out the plan for the general cleo
ton which would decide upon the
form of government which France
would have.
However, this election could not
be held at once for the thousands
upon thousands of Frenchmen taken
from their homes for forced labor
in Germany and elsewhere would
have to be repatriated first.
Every attempt is now being made
to carry out the preliminary plans
for procedures in the spirit, if not
exactly in accordance with the let
ter of the French constitution and
law. There are, however, many
practical difficulties which arise.
Take the question of woman suf-
frage. Under the French constitu-
ton, women are not permitted to
vote. However, at present, with
most of the men away in the army
or as deportees in Germany, the
women make up the majority of the
population. Therefore, it would be
desirable for them to cast the ballot
in order to get true representative
opinion of any locality.
Meanwhile, the cry of the loyal
Frenchman, in and out of his coun-
try, is for arms and ammunition.
dynamite and the other tools of
sabotage and demolition with which
they believe they can vitality dis
rupt communications and assist the
invasion.