The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-01-11
French Air Forces Genera,
Rene Bouscat, Is Competent
Sold to Be Better Fitted Than
Giroud for Commend in Worfore

4 which are gcarcd 10 air, unless
/ this newer viewpoint has as
much place in the French army
as il has in ours. Bouscat's tai
ent goes a long way toward fill
ing this vacuum in French army
affairs, and that is why Allied
leaders are converging on Bous-
cat.
Aside from all other cross
currents, the fundamental APP
proach of the United States and
Great Britain 10 French affairs
is that the attention of the trap
ped people within France is and
Will be on the strength of the
revived French army and what
the French army does in the war
from ttis-ttme forward, rather
than on political imponderables
and byplayS outside of France.
Thus they believe that the best
hope for a strong. unified France
depends upon the strength and
military successes Of the new
French army.
Giraud is COMMUNICATIVE chief.
Yet after these months of OBJ
servation, and all sorts Of mill
tary conferences, it is plain that
Giraud simply is not up to the
task Of reorganizing the French
forces along modern lines. The
Allied military leaders find to
their sorrow that whereas Cir
aud is not a politician-and that
is all TO the good-he is never
theless not a modern enough
general TO fight this war as 1t
must be fought today.
DeGaulle may be better gen.
eral. but he is not up to it either.
DeGaulle is the leader of a
movement which already has &C
CURED numerous political prob
lens over and beyond any place
DeGaulie might have in the lead
ership of the French army. This
situation throws off balance
whatever military capacity he
may possess.
Naturally, sober-minded AL
lied military men do not like the
shoWmanship Of DeGaulle nor
the dramatic posing he does at
every opportunity. But in fair
ness to him, they admit he is
more sensible, intelligent and
appealing in military discussion
than his detractors imply. Fur
thermore, the DeGaullist forces
within France are not as syn
thetic as charged by his enemies
No, nor are they as wholeheart-
eddy for him as he himself in
sistS.
De GAULLE WAS DEFIED
Recently, for example, De-
Gaulle in a Committee Of Liberia
ton meeting made the usual
statement that he speaks for the
people Of France, when up
jumped three newly rep
resentatives Of the French under
ground, who told him that
France will speak for herself
They brushed him aside with the
declaration that If he had re-
manned and suffered in France as
they had, he would know that.
Therefore, it is amid such at
mosphere and 10 overcome the
military deficiencies of both Gil
raud and DeGaulle alike, that
Anglo-American leaders tell me
they turn so hopefully to Bouscat
in military matters. They would
like general recognition Of his
ability as soldier, because they
say he deserves it.
/ does not seem likely that he
will be sabotaged by political
elements on the National Com
mittee. l have been informed
that Allied leaders will back
General Bouscat TO the limit and
will not deliver a musket to the
French unless the DeGauNsts
and the Giraudists Keep their
hands off the man who seems to
I be the best general in the service
of France.