Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-05-25

OF the measures he fathered when
In power after the war smacked
Of the welfare state, II not. indeed,
OF socialism.
His re-emergence on the French
scene last week provoked such in
tense opposition from the Com
munists that for q time civil war
seemed entirely possible: yet In
many Western capitals. men be-
lieve one of his FIRST acts as pre-
mier would be TO revive the form
or substance Of the Franco
Russian alliance.
Perhaps most ironic Of all. the
changes he urges for Frances
constitutional system are essential
TO save the Fourth Republic: yet
II he attempted to make them.
he could easily set OF a chain re-
action which would destroy the
Republic.
The De GoulIe Riddle
Here at the United Nations.
where every move in the French
crisis is being scrutinized with In
tense care. there are no facile
answers for the riddle Of De
Gaulle.
II there Is a prevailing judy
ment, Il is that the man is driven
by an intense desire for personal
and national glory, with q sense
Of mission which probably has not
crystallized into any clear program
in his mind. other military men
have sought power in not too dis
similar circumstances.
If this is so, it is still another
striking paradox. For while
De Gaulle sees himself as the
savior of France, what France
really needs above all is program
of action-sacrificial action which
could perhaps best be described
as a campaign Of political and
diplomatic austerity.
The basic fact Of French life,
insofar as its world position is
oncerned-and the real cause Of
the whole tragic ordeal-is that
France has become almost COM
pletely isolated from her friends.
This is true not merely in the
case on Algeria. where France has
been under intense United States
prssure TO cut her losses. and
where she barely escaped
.thorough-going NATO dressing
down this month at Copenhagen.
1t is true also on disarmament,
where French opposition to a test
ban-far more than American or
British hesitance-haS blocked a
possible agreement with the
Soviet Union for nearly year.
Almost a year ago. in June, 1857.
the Russians offered to permit
inspection to safeguard a test ban,
but Paris desire to become a
member of the nuclear club"
prevented serious exploration Of
the possibilities Of agreement.
French Bitterness
French isolation began in Indo-
China and became acute at the
time of the Suez war. Much Of
the world blames Paris-probably
rightly-for the attack on Egypt.
France in turn resents American
opposition to that war and is per-
haps even more bitter over what
she considers a British detection
in the middle of the fight.
Paris plight was spotlighted
wildly during last falls session
of the u. N. General Assembly.
To anyone who followed the pri-
vate pulling and hauling in the
corridors and lounges, it was clear
that the sands had run out for
France. She was able to fend of
a formal public castigation on AL
geria because she mustered last
ditch support from the United
States and Latin America. But
Washington made clear to Paris
that 1857 was the last year it
would join her in taking the dip
lomatic punishment involved.
Thus the real problem for q
"strong man" in Paris, If he
wished to restore Frances posi-
ton in the world, would be to