Evening star., 1952-10-17
French Adopt Political 'Coue-ism'
Hope Take Care of impending Russian Cancer by Resong
To Words Every Day in Every Way Am Getting Better
Constantine Brown:

PARIS, France (By MaiD -
The once popular Coue method
intended to cure all body all
ments by saying ''every day in
every way I am getting better
and better" was abandoned long
ago. But 1t has been revived as
a political cure in France to
take care Of the Russian cancer.
There is a growing belief here
that If everybody says that
there will be no war with Rus
sia, and if they continue to say
so, nothing unpleasant will hap
pen and the military servitude"
Of which the French people are
complaining will be eliminated.
Military preparedness is the
sorest point in Frances political
life at present. The insistence
of the American Government.
reflected mildly by M. Antoine
Pinay's cabinet. to go ahead with
the commitments undertaken
under the North Atlantic Pact
and later at the Lisbon Confer
ence irks the French people more
than anything else since the end
Of the war.
French coolness toward the
United States and the drift to
Aneurin Bevan's "neutralism" is
thus explainable. Americans
would be very popular if they
confined themselves to spending
freely.
The inflammatory posters in
the industrial subruhs of Paris
and in the provinces with slo-
gans such as "Go back home.
Yanks" or "Ridgway. the mic
robe warrior" are the work of
the still strong Communist
Party and must be discounted
as such.
What Is more worrisome Is the
dragging Of feet by French au-
thorities not only in regard to
their own rearmament but also
when it comes to cooperating
In the American completion of
some military projects.
For instance, there is an
American plan to build ware
houses and organize the lines Of
transport from Bordeaux to the
Rhine. It is a revival of the
communication system we had
during the first world war and
Is intended to supplement the
flow Of war materials to the
armies in Germany In the event
that Bremen. Hamburg or Ant
werp cannot be used.
This project was estimated
last year when it started to cost
some $50 million and should
have been completed by the end
Of this year. It is not even 30
per cent ready because Of the
difficulties we have encountered
with French authorities. In
cidentally the cost of the project
comes from the appropriations
for the American Army.
The obstacles put in our way
are described as being of a
technical nature" Neither ar
guments from our military rep
resentatives nor from, the vari-
Gus commissions appointed by
the State Department and the
Pentagon to solve them have
been Of much avail. The French
are most courteous and pleasant
about it. But it just happens
that either the official who was
In charge of the arrangements
has been transferred to another
post or some other thoughts
have occurred to the policy max
ers in Paris or the workers
engaged on the project are ur-
gently needed somewhere else.
These tactics have prematurely
aged the American officers in
charge who are only mildly
backed by the diplomats in
Washington. And this is one in
stance in many.
The feeling of sometimes con-
cealed and sometimes open hos
tility toward America Is to be
found in q number of other
manifestations. For instance,
Marshal JUN, the commander
of the land forces Of the NATO,
is seriously annoyed, as is the
rest Of the French government.
At our Illogical and unwanted
interference" in Frances affairs
In North Africa and particularly
In Tunisia.
Marshal JUN Is on record as
saying that II We continue to