Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-23

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France-just another province
like Picardie or Normandie-
is to be treated as such, certainly
not to be given away to q bunch
Of dissident Arabs.
If there could be such q thing
as an un-French Activities Com
mittee 1t would be busy today ask
ing trembling Frenchmen: Have
you ever or do you now believe
Algeria is not q part Of France?"
Some nonconformists would an
swer yves" but they would be
branded as traitors.
Thus, any solution to the cal
gerian problem" acceptable here
must be based on the dogma.
The war must be ended with Al
geria still q part Of France. The
people there, Moslem Arabs and
Berbers included. must always
remain Frenchmen. And the
world must accept the fact that
Algeria is a part of France and
nobody else's business.
In a sense, this is one Of the
most generous policies in Colonial
history. A thriving nation of Chris
tian Europeans has invited almost
10000. 900 persons of another race
and religion to share their civili-
cation and prosperity on an equal
basis. In another sense, however,
the contrary is true. For although
the invitation to share has been
extended, the opportunity to share
has not. And the host has barred
the door to those who want to
leave.
At any rate, Frenchmen insist
on the basic truth" on which
their policy is founded. And any
bearer of good ofiices" must find
some way to cope with this truth"
or take his briefcaSe back home.
At the same time. Frenchmen
know in their logical minds that
Algeria is not in fact a part of
France. French law says it is not.
A visit to Algeria demonstrates
that it is not.
The Contradictions
This contradiction between fact
and theory. between slogan and
law, between reason and emotion
explains why France has not been
able to solve the Algerian problem.
It explains why Algeria cannot be
given independence as was Mo-
rocco and Tunisia and cannot be
led to self-government as is being
done in French BLACK Africa"
The Algerian war takes a billion
dollars a year out of the French
treaSury-the difference between
prosperity and the present near
bankruptcy. Algerian public works
started since the war cost another
half billion dollars. The war has
lost France the friendship of Tu-
nisia and strained relations with
Morocco and all the rest Of the
Arab world. It has lowered French
prestige in the West and has re-
moved most Of Frances effective
ness from NATO. It has endan-
gered the whole Western position
In North Africa.
And the war threatens even now
to destroy Frances democratic
government.
But. "Algerie Francaise!"
How did France get into this
position? It all goes back a century
when France, like the other West
ern countries. was pacifying and
colonizing the backward areas of
the world. She took the area that
is now Algeria. pacifled it in a
few decades and ran 1t without
reference 10 any existing govern
ment.
After World War II when France
was trying to pull itself and it's
empire together, there was a great
popular sentiment for making
France and Algeria one. France,
q small country of 40 million per-
sons. was to be transformed into
a mighty French Union" Of 100
million Frenchmen, and Algeria,
close at hand, close to the hearts
Of Frenchmen and the home of a
million Europeans, was the logical
place to start.
Great Expectations
French leaders talked Of total
assimilation Of Algeria's 9 million
Moslems. They would be given the
French language and French val
ues and would share like any
Frenchman in rights and respon-
sibilities in the national govern
ment in Paris.
France went so far after the war
as to specify in the new constitu-
ton that Algeria Is q part Of
France and that all Algerians are
citizens Of France.
But cooler and harder heads
meanwhile had pointed out a few
flaws in this beautiful dream:
Few Algerians had enough edu-
cation or democratic feelings to
exercise their rights In a construc-
tive responsible way. So the con-
stitution was made to read that