Evening star., 1955-01-30
FIomboyont Fuure Has France AIutter
BY Crosby S. Noyes
Fetsisn coFFsspondsni Of Ths siaF

lister. he declared. very few can
be finance minister. I'll stay
where ! am" "
Today, after 1S months as
Frances economic chief, Mr..
Faure is busiIy installing himself
in his new offices on the Quai
d'Orsay, the French State De-
partment. The switch shows at
least one thing about Frances
third postwar foreign minister
the ability to change his mind.
No Apologies.
The change probably has not
been painless. A man not given
to undertaking his own abilities.
Mr.. Faure has no reason to
for his performance as
finance minister. In his 18
salaries have been in
8 per cent while living
costs have remained stable. Ma
tional revenue, industrial pro-
duction, gold and dollar reserve
are all at q healthy new high
The franc has been stabilized,
trade barriers lowered and
Frances chronic credit deficit
with the European Payments
Union cured. While Mr.. Mendes-
France has been completely oc-
cupied with foreign affairs Mr.
Faure has somehow managed to
pump good deal Of life into the
tottering French economy.
The trouble is that now Mr..
MendeS- France himself plans to
take over the job Of developing
his own economic program and
too many top-flight economists
can be q nuisance. Mr.. Faure has
made no secret Of his disapproval
Of a number of things that Mr..
endes-France plans to do. He
may not be happy about what
must be rated as q polite kick
upstairs to leave room for a more
pliable finance minister. But, as
a politician, he appears to have
decided that even a second
choice job is better than OBJ
scurity.
Against this background, there
is less than wild enthusiasm in
diplomatic circles here over Mr..
Faure's appointment. Those who
are more concerned about
French foreign policy than they
are about economic reform are
frankly wondering what may be
in store. They are also wondering
If, for all his highly polished. and
even brilliant exterior. Mr.. Faure
represents a promising successor
to Messrs. Bidau1t and Schuman
as head of the French Foreign
Office.
There is not much to go on.
Mr.. Faure's sallies into the field
of foreign affairs in the course
of his public service have been
in the nature of q student play
ing hockey from more serious
work. Even during the 40 days
when he led the French govern
ment in 1852, there was little
solid evidence to indicate where
or how firmly the premier stood
on a number Of important ques-
tions facing the Free World. The
only thing certain is that his
opinions on these questions will
matter a good deal more now
than they have in the past.
There also is an idea that his
performance won't be dull. The
new Foreign minister is con-
sidered a man who dislikes the
conventional approach, a man
long on ambition, and short on
discretion, very anxious to justify
his faith in himself and his own
promising start in public life.
At 46, there is still something
of the child prodigy about Edgar
Faure. From the beginning he
has shown a tendency to shine
in an uncongenial environment.
Born to an army life (his father.
a hussar surgeon. is remembered
for his full beard and red trou-
sers) his early education was
haphazard. In 1914, thanks to
the disorganization of the school
system, he was entered as the
only boy in a girls boarding
school at La Bruyere. AS COM
pensation, his mother allowed
him to grow blond curls. Today.
Mr.. Faure claims to be the only
government minister who is a
member Of an alumnae associa-
tion.
From there he advanced rap
idly through an arid exacting
course of studies including
financial and international law
and the history Of fiscal legis-
lation. graduating finally with
the degree of "docteur" at the
age Of 10, along with a classmate
named Pierre Mendes France.
While still a minor. legally un-
able to manage his own legal
affairs, he defended those of
others as an attorney attached
to the Court of Appeals in Paris.
During of hours, to keep his
hand in, he studied at the school
of oriental languages, perfecting
himself in reading and writing
Russian.
H0neymooned In Russia.
At the age of %, Mr.. Faure
married Lucie Meyer who today
directs a highbrow and moder-
ately leftist political review
called La Nef." For their hon
eymoon, they Joined a group OF
young lawyers on a tour Of Rus
sia. AS Mr.. Faure recalls the
trip today, it was only a partial
SrtenaSe A cnnr3 daol r,f tty,,a mo q