THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF FRANCE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 7, 12 September 1944, Page 4

THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE OF FRANCE

MANY persons, including well-informed critics, believe that the only logical course is to recognise a Government headed by a man who for most Frenchmen has been the living symbol of resistance. If the Allies have hesitated to take this step it must be assumed that they have reasons for suspecting that there are the elements of a dangerous situation in France. The one thing to be. prevented at all costs is a political upheaval which could divide and confuse the French people at a time when civil stability is an essential military requirement. It will have been noticed that four Allied Governments in exile have already given full recognition to the French Provisional Government. This may make it harder to understand British and American reluctance. But the exiled Governments have very good reasons for wanting to recognise .a "situation which exists." The time is approaching when they, too, will be claiming a provisional sovereignty in territories recovered from the enemy. At the moment the problem of France can be given a deceptive simplicity. If General de Gaulle receives the powers he is seeking (and it is more than possible that he will receive them in the near future) there may be a general tendency to believe that French unity has been achieved. It is to be hoped that this optimism is justified by events. The facts of recent history make it difficult to reach safe conclusions. France has been under eilemy occupation for four years. The old political divisions may be less marked than formerly; but they are still there, and in some cases they have been deepened by the effects of defeat. There is an enmity between patriots and collaborationists that will not easily be suppressed. It has become the focal point for all the political influences that weakened France before the debacle. Those influences cannot be prevented from reasserting their power now that freedom has returned: they have to be worked out of the nation's mind in an internal struggle that may disturb French politics for a generation. General de Gaulle's own political views, or the views of groups that supported him in Algiers, are believed to show a tendency towards an authoritarian Fourth Republic. It can at least be said that General de Gaulle's statements have revealed no strong attachment to republican sentiments. The French people are facing a long and difficult jpurney. Liberation is only the beginning of their problems. The Allied-Governments are compelled to make decisions which may have far-reaching political consequences. Above all, they must do everything possible to ensure the progress of their vast and fateful military operations. Can it be surprising, therefore, if the issues seem a little more complex to them than they seem to those who speak impatiently for General de Gaulle?