Imperial Valley press., 1944-03-15
WHY COUNT FRANCE OUT?

christian Science Monitor)
French democracy can be the principal
buwark in Western Europe against a
postwar German revanche. French guer-
rillas 100000 to 100000 strong, and par
TALLY armed and disciplined by former
army officers, can be decisive help in
the coming invasion. But still British
American diplomacy acts as if France
were a political and military vacuum.
Possibly it is only American diploma
CIV. Mr. Churchill in his conference with
General de Gaulle appears to nave come
to an understanding. 1t is reported that
the American State Department also Is
ready to deal with the French Comnlit-
tee of National Liberation as 1uli-
fledged ally. but that President Roosevelt
refuses to give the final o. X. There
NAV be good undsclosed reasons for con-
tinuad reluctance to make commitments
to the French. but the advantages OF
building up a friendly France both for
the short and the long purposes of peace
are daily becoming clearer.
Those who can remember how the
fall of France shook America to. Its
foundations can estimate how much the
revival and rehabilitation of France could
mean. The long campaign to regain the
Mediterranean. the coming desperate et-
fort to find footing for British-Amorican
power on the eastern side Of the Channel.
would never have been necessary II
France had been properly used as a
counterweght to Nazi aggression There
was a mental and moral weakness. But
it was not alone in France; it was the
general failure of the demOcracies to
arouse themselves in time.
It has been too readily assumed that
Frances share of that weakness was IL
reparable or would require decades to re-
pair. But two factors could have caused
the fall of France even though her men
tai and moral state was far above that
of Nazi Germany. Her form OF parlla-
mentary government-not her d2mocra-
tic ideals-made for political paralysis.
and she was beaten-aS was every other
neighbor of Germany-by superior mill
tary preparation and skill.
These facts-plus the increasing evl-
dence that French patriotism and democ-
racy are springing up again from the
s-roots-Strengthen the hope that
the revival Of France will be faster than
has been SO widely assumed. They also
point to the folly of so much talk about
a Big Four which seems to forget the
potential power of France both for free
ing the Continent and keeping it free.
Britain and America are not going to
police Europe for the next fifty years
What happens when they withdraw?
Their power may have to be available in
the background. Peace will largely de-
pend on their readiness to use it prompt
ly. But the danger from its not being on
the ground will be reduced if France can
be built up as the center of democratic
power on the Continent. The start should
not be delayed.
The question now is whether the hu
man race has sufficient capacity to i'm
pose upon itself conditions which will
assure that the future will be relieved of
mass murder, fratricide and suicide
that which we call war.-Joseph E. Dav-
les, former ambassador to Russia.
In certain quarters there is prejudice
against the word planning that prob
ably springs from apprehension that
planning may lead US into regimented
way of life feel that just the opposite
is the case. RECOMMENDATION arises after
planning has failed.-Beardsley Ruml,
chairman Federal Reserve Bank Of New