The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-06-23
BY WILLIAM L. RYAN
AP Fcreign News analyst

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CASABLANCA, Morocco R-He
is the sultan of the realm of Mo-
rocco, but he is a weak, haH-blind
old man, living in fear in his pal
ace at Rabat.
Sultan Moulay Moh1mmed Ben
Arafa is a reluctant ruler, brought
to the throne as a puppet of the
French. Few in Morocco 1ecog-
nize him as either a spiritual lead
er or sovereign.
His story is symptom of the
ailments that plague the French
empire. The political pattern of
Indochina is taking shape once
again. Morocco is smoldering. The
situation may not be so immedia-
tely critical as that of Frances
other North African protectorate,
Tunisia, but the elements of prai-
RE fire lie beneath the surface.
Moulay Mohammed has been sui
tan nine months. He was put into
the job because the old Sultan,
Sidi Mohammed Ben Youssef, de-
clined to be a puppet all his life.
To understand the story of the
sultans, you have to 60 back to
1912. The French were establish
ing their authority in Morocco.
Hadj THANH el. Glaoui Mezaouri,
Pasha of Marrakech and ruler of
the Berber tribesmen, threw in his
lot with the French. He would re-
main unchallenged ruler of the
whole region of Marrakech. In the
ory only, he was the instrument
of the Sultan.
In 1927 Sid Mohammed became
sultan after the death of his IA
Their. He remained shy and man.
ageable until 20 years ago, when
the Istiqlal independently move
ment, looking for a rallying point,
began calling him ''our beloved
king" He liked that.
During Sidi Mohammed's rule,
the French ended tribal wars and
united Morocco. But the Sultan was
not popular, nor did he get big
ideas until after World War II. He
leaned closer to Istiqlal while con
tinuing a long-standing feud with
local chieftainS, the caids and pa
shas, and particularly the Pasha
of Mrrakech.
Nine months 60 Sid Moham-
med felt strong enough to balk at
signing reforms announced by the
French to appease nationalist feel
ing. The French, using the threat
of the Pasha's three million Ber-
bers, deposed him and exiled him
to Madagascar.
Morocco's native population of
ga million-about 8 million of them
illiterate-had disliked the Sultan
as a money collector. The Berbers,
Moors rather than Arabs, had paid
little attention to him. But the mo-
ment the French removed him,
the non-Berber population sudden
ly and avidly supported him. He
was their hereditary spiritual lead
err and they insisted the French
could not remove him.
The situation worsened at once
There was an. air of continuing
crisis, spelling danger to the
mighty American air bases newly
built in the country.
BY day life went on normally
in the fourishing cities built by
the French. By night in dark al
leys mysterious groups of three
men were hiring poverty-stricken
Arabs for q few thousand francs
TO murder and terrorize. In the
crowded slums nationalists tried
TO enforce boycotts of French
| goods.
In the distance, French business.
men could see a threat of creep
ing paralysis. Some appealed to
Paris for a change in policy, but
old-line colonists called for more
| firmncss. That meant force, ar.
rests, curfews, repressions. Then
more terror. Responsible national.
ut leaders who might have checked