The Wilmington morning star., 1944-11-29
France Reuiuing
RY Joseph C. HARSCH

BY JOSEPH C. HARSCH
One of the oldest phenomenon Of Europe
is the extraordinary recuperative power OF
the French nation. Many times since Rome
first opened up Gaul, the people who live
between the Rhine and the Atlantic and be-
tween the Pyrenees and the English Chan
mel have been counted out.
They have been conquered and they have
exhausted themselves and they have been
relegated b ythe outside world to a minor
role in the worlds future. That periodic dis
counting of France as world factor was
again the fashion from the military collapse
Of 1910 until the very recent months. 1t has
again been proved completely wrong.
The fact is that today France has sud-
denly shown itself major factor in the
form alton of the Europe in spite OF the
nearly three millions of her men who are
still prisoners or forced labor in Germany.
That is an almost crushing weakness. Yet
observers in France and returning from
France are today in agreement that the
France which progressed from its greatest
victory in 1918 to weakness has somehow
progressed from its defeat of 1910 to a new
vitality and strength.
The external actions of France during the
past two or three weeks are profound con-
firmatior of this judgment. Washington has
watched these events with deep interest
and has come to the conclusion that the esti-
mates of year ago be safely rejected
and strong France accepted in the calcula-
tons of the future.
To say that this is revolution in Ameri-
can official attitude is to state it mildly
White House and State Department policy
up to even less than year ago regarded
France more Or less as the problem child of
the Allied cause: There was even a time
whel the taking over of military bases
throughout the French Empire by British and
American forces was regarded as probably
necessary to the security of the postwar world
| Such discussion has now disappeared for the
simple reason that France has shown both
power and an increasingly wise use OF that
power
The actual military power of the moment
is not great, but the reason is lack of equip
ment and supplies, not will or skill. Where
French units have been armed adequately
fer modern war they have now proved
themselves superlatvely. The drive to
Strasbourg this week is one of the more
skillful and successful Allied operations on
the western front.
| 1t proves not that France is in fact again
first-rank military power, but that French
troops when equipped and organized as
skillful warriors today as ever ir their history.
The potential has been established.
In internal politics there has been even
|
government has progressed far enough now to
have already disproved the fears that it would
not be competent to reorganize France. The
Regime in exile has become a provisional
government in fact. The failure of the Belgian
exile regime to do as well points up the extent
of the French success Whereas the Belgian
Government is today dependent on British bay
onets to maintain its authority, the French
Government is firmly established with a wide
| base of public approval and support. The eX-
| tent of its strength is shown by its willingness
to accept the test of elections Municipal cleo
tons are scheduled for February.
Perhaps its greatest recovery has been in
foreign affairs where French policy HAS this
week resumed major role. The foundation
for thaa role laid during the two pre-
cedins weeks beginning with Prime Minister
ChurchilPs visit to France. That was followed
Immediately by the granting to France of a
seat on the European Advisory Commission
and then Marshal Stalin's invitation to de
Gaulle tc visit Moscow
| With that background of strength, the new
French foreign policy this week made it's first
naajol demarche in world diplomacy. move
'nent was under way to build up a western
European bloc of nations-Britain, France,
Belgium, and Holland-as western counter
poise to Russia. 1t had produced violent signs
of alarm in Moscow. Although it could be de-
leLued as logical ana proper coIlPdhloA "
the eastern bloc Russia is building with its
neighbors, it looked to Moscow like yelled
threat France ended it firmly and completely
when Foreign Minister Bidault announced that
France would participate in any european
security system which included eastern Ed
rope, but never one which excluded eastern
Europe.
| This was France speaking with an autnor1ty
reminiscent of older times, and speaking at
crucial moment when the success OF "orlo
security was without much doubt IN Jeopardy.
| It was the capstone in the structure Oh rrencn
revival as great power-Chrls1lan 0'ie"se
Monitor.
-V-
There is real danger that certain pontlcal
groups will want to perpetuate the eeo 1..N
even if the public authority has no contr1i OF
the means of production it does retain .ne 1asn
! of bureaucratic ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ~ 1s
Joseph H. Schlarman, Catholic Blshop u
orta.