Milford chronicle., 1952-03-14
France
De cuullist Shodow

De CoUllist Shadow
A French political crisis this week
carried with it the threat of jamming
the entire western defense program.
The US. is accustomed to swift
changes in French governments-the
recent Faure ministry was Frances
18th since iberation-but never be-
fore have political upheavals in Paris
involved so many international COM
plications.
First of all, the western European
defense development was brought
almost to a standstill because the
French National Assembly refused to
vote the money for the expanded re-
armament France undertook at the
Lisbon conference. Secondly, the
cabinet crisis obliged some American
and French officials to think seriously
about giving up in Indochina and
letting the Communist rebellion take
over. Third, the crisis caused the
lanky figure of rightist Gen. Charles
De Gaulle to cast a lengthening
shadow over French politics.
FOrelgn Policy Shit
If De Gaullists gain a dominant
voice in any new cabinet, it un-
doubtedly would cause a major up
heaval in French foreign policy. De
Gaulle already has called for sweep
ing changes in the major western
defense programs to which France has
recently committed herself.
The De Galllists, for example,
vigorously oppose the Schuman Plan
for pooling western Europe's coal and
steel industries. They also oppose the
one-uniform European army, pro-
posed earlier by France as a method
Of bringing West Germany into
European defense without risking
another German conquest.
De Gaulle instead has proposed in
vague terms a confederation Of
Europe with each country retaining
the right to its own forces but each
country bound to another by precise
mutual undertakings so that no one
can seek hegemony over the others.
He believes the United States is
interfering too much in Europe, but
admits: "We can't do without Amer
lean aid"
Angry Words From US.
AS the cabinet crisis in Paris began,
some French deputies talked about
asking the United States for still more
aid to pay Frances defense bill. But
in Washington there were angry
words from Chairman Tom Connally
(D-Tex) of the Senate Foreign Rela-
tions Committee which indicated the
French failure to find funds for her
part Of North Atlantic defense was
building up trouble for President
TrlIman's foreign aid requests in
Congress.
i was disclosed in Paris that
France was paying about one and a
half billion dollars fighting the Indo-
chinese war. For European defense,
she was asked to raise nearly double
that amount.
At the same time, the value of
French currency decreased so fast
that more and more money had to
be sought to get the same results. Six
months ago, France talked about
raising enough money both to carry
on the war in Indochina and the re-
armament program in Europe. The
latter called for IA French divisions.
Weakest Link
This week, the same money that
would have provided IA divisions
would not even provide the IL divi-
sionS that her scaled-down program
called for.
The money France needed to make
herself a real power in Europe was
being poured into the Indochina war
In Europe, meanwhile, France wa.
the weakest link in the western de.
tense lineup. Her weakness weakened
all the others, for France has had tC
shut her doors to imports from other
countries. Thus their revenue has
gone down.