Evening star., 1947-12-25
French Pushing Drive
On Reds by Curbing
Radio and Newspaper

Radio and Newspaper
PARIS, Dec. 25 (CDN).-The Red
Star is certainly not in the ascend
ancy over France just at present,
In fact, although the anti-Com-
munist drive now on here has not
yet reached the stage of a witch
hunt, things are rapidly deteriorat-
ing from the Red viewpoint.
The undermining of Soviet prop |
uganda and the removal of Com
munists from all influential jobs are
two immediate governmental goals. .
One step in the first direction
has been the suppression of pro-
Soviet radio broadcasts, another,
the prohibition by War Minister
Pierre-Henr Teitgen Of the distri-
button or reading of the Commu-
mist organ Humanite, in army bar
racks.
Toward the second goal amend
ments to internal procedure rules
have been discussed in the National .
Assembly. The obvious aim is to
noes as the chairmanships of parlia-
n1entary commissions and the vice
presidencies of the assembly itself.
Example Offered.
For example, Communist Leader
Jacques Duclos is at present vice
president and, according to present |
rules, would temporarily head the
IN, ;,,to 1o%
the dissolution of parliament and
the election of a new one, If Speaker
Edouard Herriot happened to be in
capacitated at the time.
Recently two Communist projects
were discharged and last month the
Communist head of the nationalized
coal industry resigned" after an in
vestigation Of his trusteeship. Also, !
his first assistant subsequently was
removed for having struck miner
who refused to join the strike.
The government is also currently
studying legal ways of removing
Paris Communists locality mayors.
Perhaps the most wholesome part
OF the government-directed Com
munist cleanup is that within the
ranks Of the French army of occu-
patton in Germany, Communist ele-
ments there succeeded, during the
hrst two years Of the occupation, In
virtually Transforming the French
sector into a stepping stone for
Communist propaganda to the Brit
tsh and American zones. The idea
behind this was the belief that
British and American intelligence
would be apt to view with less sus-
picion information" coming from
the French zone rather than the
Russian.
Workers Being Divided.
Another facet of Frances anti
Communist drive concerns dividing
Communist from non Communist
workers. The newly formed work
ers' Strength group. which last
Friday split from the Communist
dominated General Confederation |
Of Labor, is handling that. So far
It has done neat job.
Three hundred unions have de-
clared their desire to leave the CGT
and join the new group. The Post
mems Federation, Independent Paris
Subway Workers and several miners
and steelworkers' unions in North
ern France and in the Moselle re-
gion have voted to join workers
Strength"
The bets are that if the movement |
continues its present momentum |
workers Strength" may soon have
100000 members, which would put |
1t on almost an equal level with .
OCT.
Would Federation Distrusted.
Moreover a distinct possibility is
foreseen that workers Strength
will seek to inspire workers unions
In America and Britain to reor-
ganize the World Federation of
Trade Unions, in which Communist
influence is strong. A spokesman
for the new group, Albert Bouzan-
quet, declared that a large section
Of its membership distrusted the
WFTU as Communist front Or
ganization comparable TO the
French CGT.
So far. Communists here have
reacted only mildly to the French
drive against them. For example,
their Paris newspaper Humanite is
obviously awaiting new instructions
before taking its tack. 1t is gen.
orally anticipated that Humanite
will have its orders shortly.