Evening star., 1951-01-28

Wlen ne steps OH MS tfaln tOm0l
This is where I came in" for
missions not too different from
his present one.
In the closing months of 1893
when the "sitzkrieg" was on in
Europe and we were all holding
rallies to support the Firms against
Soviet Russia-M. Pleven came to
Washington with plan to accel-
crate American airplane produc-
ton.
After his departure in May
1910. when the Germans invaded
France and the Lowlands, he was
away for year and half before
he returned as national commits
sloner for economy, finance and
colonies in the French National
Committee. In that capacity he
negotiated the first shipments of
lend-lease material to tht Free
French colonies.
Now he's Premier and comes to
washington to see President Tru-
man for two days, seeking new an
swers to an old question: How can
a country which is still struggling
against wars devastation get set
for another war?
Two Objectives
He comes as a deft politician,
who has skillfully juggled four
parties in his cabinet since he be-
came president of the Council of
Ministers last July IL. He comes
with explanations and excuses, but
with the desire and determination
to overcome-with American help
all those terrifying obstacles
which stand in the way of a pow
erful France.
M. Pleven, whose government
lives virtually from day to day,
wants to accomplish two things on
his visit to Washington.
First, he hopes to make clear to
President Truman and other
American policy-making officials,
the stupendous character Of
Frances difficulties in rearming
as part of the Atlantic defense
alliance.
Second, he hopes to enlist
American assistance - beyond
mere economic and military aid
in meeting situation which
threatens to undermine seriously,
If not actually prevent, France S
full-Scale rearmament.
Whether by chance or calcula-
ton, his visit almost comedies
with the return of Gen. Eisenhow-
er from Europe to report to Presi-
dent Truman and Congress on the
results of his initial survey of the
Western European rearmament
effort.
That survey, and Gen. Eisen-
hower's frank expressions of dis
satisfaction with progress. al
ready has touched off a crisis in
the Netherlands. with the chief of
staff of the Dutch Army losing his
job for trying to speed up Dutch
rearmament and the Dutch cab
met resigning.
NJ Pleven will paint frankly for
Mr.. Truman-as his aides will for
other American officials-a sorry
picture of a country which is still
fighting the aftermath of six
years of war, whose people are
weighted down with the very bur-
den of living and whose effort to
build anew the sineWs of war may
be frustrated by conditions beyond
their control.
But they will also paint a pic
ture of a France which is still vir-
lie, France which has manpoW-
er and Is willing to use it, if it can
get the weapons with which to
fight.
Accompanied by Experts
With M. Pleven in setting forth
the facts of the French dilemma
will be a group of experts whose
mere Identification indicates the
breadth of the conference topics
Among them are:
Alexandra Parodi, secretary gen.
eral of the French Ministry o1
Foreign Affairs; Herve Alphand
French Ambassador to the Allan
tic group in London; Gen. AL
phonse JUN, resident general o1
Morocco and newly appointed in
spector general of all French
armed forces; Guillaume Guindey
of the Ministry of Finance, Robert
Tezenas du Montcel, representa-
tive of the Associated State!
Gndo-China.
The picture this group will
paint for American policy makers
is not pretty.
France came out of World Wal
II almost completely exhausted
economically. Her communica.
tions we're in a sad state of neglect
and disrepair. Her industria
plant and equipment had beer
worn OUT by Nazi pressure for wal
production or had been destroyed
in the fighting. None of France.
new housing needs had been me-
during The war years.
Turning to peacetime life France
found herself unable to meet al
needs at once, but she gave pri
ority to restoration of communi
cations-railroads, highways ant
telegraph lines-and of industry
The French people were re-
quired. however, to sacrifice many
things they normally would re-
quire in peacetime. One of these
was new housing, for which the
demand even in 1945 was ire
mendous.
Five years later much has beer