Evening star., 1944-07-13
Allies Civil Program
In France Surpasses
HOPES in Efficiency
BY w. C. HEINZ,


North American Navspapsr Alliance.
CHERBOURG, July l2.-In the
first major test In France, the new
Allied civil affairs program seems to
be working with efficiency beyond
the highest expectations although
1t is being carried out by group Of
American and English officers and
men who actually have only al
meager knowledge Of the French
language.
1t seems nothing short Of amaS-
ing at first glance to discover that
those supplying a sort Of liaison be-
tween the military and the civilian
populace would be unable to pass
the two-year French regents ex-
animation in an American high
school. That they appear at the
moment to be doing remarkable
Job seems to bear out the point that
it is better to have experts in civil
affairs who don't know French than
to have linguists knowing nothing
OF civil affairs.
In checking the records Of the
men in this unit here today you
found four-fifths claiming some
knowledge Of French. In actual
practice you discover. however. that
only . few can manage without an
interpreter, and you checked this
with Maj. Gerard Lambert Of Los
Angeles, the French national liaison
officer, who bore you out.
Actually" he said, "only one ON
Ger and three men here speak
French f1uently."
Speaks French FIuently.
The officer Of which he spoke Is
1t. Col. Frank Howley of Drexel
Hill, Pa, who is in command Of the
unit and who studied at the Sor-
bonnie. Col. Howley explains it, the
situation doesn't seem unusual.
I'm the first place" he says,
"the most important thing was to
get experts in the various phases Of
municipal administration. You put
an American expert in sanitation
with a French expert in sanitation
and you'll find they get along be-
cause they speak the universal Ian
guage of their jobs. And in the
second place, men with such special
knowledge are to valuable to limit
to one place. They've got to be ready
to step into Germany or anywhere
else they may be needed"
Under this system, working with
the local fire department, is 1t.
~
former chief of that city's fire pre-
vention bureau Working with the
local public safety officials is Brit
ish Maj. William Palfrey of Exeter,
one of the youngest chief consta-
bleS in England. The records of the
other specialists are equally i'm
presSive.
National Parks Man Serves.
Capt. Juan BaSora of Puerto Rico,
now working in public health is the
former head of the pediatric divi-r
sion of the Puerto Rico District
Hospital. Maj. Hohnce Diggs of
Austin, Tex, in public works here,
Is a former field supervisor of the
National Park Service in the United
States. Maj. Benjamin Scheinman
OF Detroit, legal representative, is
former judge of the Superior Court
of California. Apparently language
limitations are not hampering these
men and others.
Here on civil affairs inspection
tour from London headquarters is
1t. Col. Charles Keegan, former
New York councilman He was high
In his praise of the unity mere today.
i can honestly say I've heard no
complaints" Col. Keegan said. Il
have talked with local authorities
and our regular military men, the
latter Of whom are somewhat in
clined to frown on civil affairs. and
have yet to hear of any dissatis-
faction"
That the civil affairs program is
working well is in no small part due
TO the local people and in a remote
degree, the courtesty OF the Nazis.
The civil affairs units are using as
Interpreters many local boys still in
their teens who for the past four
years have been restricted by Ger
man occupation, but who still were
permitted to study English in the
schools. This foresightedness On the
part OF the NaziS is now coming in
mighty handy for the alliec