Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-19
New Try in France

The Tree world mas reason 10 WaLcn prayer
fully-with fingers crossed-the unfolding OF
the program that Pierre Mendes- France, the
new French Premier, has undertaken to carry
out between now and August. In some respects,
it is program that seems stronger and more
fortnight than any presented to the National
Assembly since 1945 But certain antiquities
in it, certain vague points, plainly suggest that
it must be viewed at the moment with re-
served, wait-apd-see attitude by the United
States and the West in general.
First and foremost among the new Pre-
miers detectives, which include timely proposals
for internal economic reforms, is the achieve
ment of an honorable" settlement OF the Indo-
China war before July 20. He has stated his
position this way: "The government will form
will Set-and set for our adversarieS-a period
of four weeks" to bring about such settlement.
And If by that time it has not been brought
about,-that is to say, If the Communists at
Geneva continue to insist upon conditions
incompatible" with Frances most vital in
terests" and its determination to remain in the
Far East"-he will then hand in his resignation.
In proclaiming this pledge, Mr.. Mendes-
France has indicated marked willingness to
make concessions at Geneva, but since he has
not spelled out what those concessions might
be, there can be no way of judging them
"
in the next week or so. Meanwhile, however,
as if to reassure the United States and his
country's other allies that he is not for peace
at any price, he has emphatically declared that
under his premiership, beginning right now
"all necessary military measures will be taken
Cd to deal with "the immediate needs" in
Indo-China and 10 to guarantee that his sue
ceSsor governmental case he fails to achieve
his prime objective-will be Gin a. position to
continue the fight if it should unfortunately
have to do So"
AS for the next most important part of his
program, the Premier has promised that his
government will see to it-given settlement in
Indo-C China and decisions to strengthen the
French economy-that action is taken by the
National Assembly, before its vacation period
in August, to declare itself on the European
Defense Community. He has warned the dep
uties that this must be done because the pres
emit uncertainty on the issue is harmful to the
Atlantic alliance, because that alliance "need
only be compromised for the worst dangers to
appear on the horizon" and because the time
is at hand when the United States and the
other Western allies should "have from France
a clear and constructive reply that they long
have had the right to expect"
But Mr. MendeS- France, in making this
rather reasSuring statement, has also spoken
in particularly ambiguous terms about recon-
CLING internal French differences and "unbend-
ing attitudes" regarding the EDO treaty. What
he has in mind apparently, is series OF
amendments and reservations that would make
the project palatable to some of its bttereSt
foes in the National Assembly. Unfortunately,
however, if there are to be such amendments
and reservations, then the pact-which has
been ratified by all the signatories except Italy
and France-probably will have to go through
protracted renegotiation of kind that could
kill it of altogether. This assumes, OF course,
that it would not already have been killed for
all practical purposes by the nature of the
amendments
Nevertheless, although his program thus
involves a number of disturbing "ifs," "buts"
and "maybes," Mr. Mendes-France-a member
of the moderate Radical Socialist Party-has
presented his views so persuaSively that>he has
become Premier with the backing Of better than
an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
He has achieved this, moreover, without the
Communist deputies, whose support he has
scathingly spurned because they have "espoused
the cause of those who fight u.s." Conceivably
Just conceivably-he may now be able to get
an acceptable settlement at Geneva and to pro-
coed from there in way that will strengthen
the West as whole In any event, wishing him
we'll the free world must hope so.
Both Are important