GRAVE CONCERN CAUSED

Chronicle (Levin), 3 November 1948, Page 5

GRAVE CONCERN CAUSED

(N.Z.P.A.-

—Reuter,

% % | Communists Make Headway Iu France I

Copyright) ;

Received Tuesday,1 7 p.m. ; ■ • ■ - • - - LONDON, Nov. 2. Although it is now generally expected that the measures taken by the Freneh Governmenf will break the coaj ■strike, the rglief with which this is viewed iu Jrit&is is tempered by grave misgiyings about the general trend of affairs in France. It is recognised thaf' the series of economie and pblitical distui'bances . to which Franee has -been subje.cted during the past two years, have seriously sapped lier strength economically aud niorally andV.that ,uUy less the ' cainpaign of pplitical and;. economie sabotage on which the Freneh Communists. are now einbarked, can be eheeked, France may be unable.to play her part either in the European recovery programme pr in the defence arrangements centred on the Brussels Pact.

The coal strike which has already lost France a full month's output, is seen as only one more development in the series of caref ully engineered disturbances by which the Co.innmnists are attempting to "disrupt Freneh economy and destroy what remains of Freneh faith in Parliamentary institutions. It. is considered that the Cpnwpunists are m.aking ttndeniable headway ,an^ that if they succeed in pushing the proceSs . much further, Freneh mpderate and anti-Communist opinion may be driven straight into the arms of General de Gaulle an.d so into a conflict of which the inevitable putcome "will be civil war, Snch ,a conflict, it is recognised, would admirably serve fhe purposes 'of the Freneh Communists and those who .are supporting them. It would give them the pretext to indulge in a straight out tria! of strength with General de Gaulle, If .successful in this, they would beeome the Government bu! .even if uusuecessful they would be able to create further chaos and. confusion from which the cause of Communist expansionism coujd hope to profit. On the other hand, from the British and American point of view, the prospect of General de Gaulle taking over political power jn France, is regarded with only slightly less misgiving than the snccess of the Communists, Th.e General 's recent strong eriticism of Britain's leadership ih the Brussels . Pact, js regarded as confirmation of the anfi-British feeling he is known to have deyeloped during the war years and which he is believed to have fostered since. .. -

Britain has particular cause for misgiyings over France because Franeeffis .. undeniably the cornerstoue both of thq European recovery programme and tji'v : complementary defence arrangemeijtsy made under the Brussels Pact, Iff France becomes involveffiin civil war or becomes either de Gaull'jst or Communist, it would be difficult to preyeut tbo coilapse of both pjans and all that depends upon them." Moreover, 1n order to assist Freneh ecdnomy, Britain is being asked to strain her own resources still -further by extending her unrc quired exports to Franee and by wiping off the existing Fr.enCh . debit trading balanee. , Tlie latest Freneh plans for European economie cooperatxon- would inyolve Britain still further for M. Monnet, who is the Frenclf. equiyalent of Sir Stafford Cripps, has4 now sub'mitted proposals which would make Britain and France so interdependent economically that the coilapse of one would inevitably involve the other, These Freneh proposals are the eomplement of Britain's four year recovery plau and are designed to make France independent of American aid by 1952, They envisage a complete transformation in Freneh economy and propose to expand Freneh agriculture so that Franee will replace Argentine as oue of Britain's chief food suppliers, while Britain, in her turn, supplies the majority of the machinery neeessary for Freneh reequipmen't, In nor'mal eireumstances this plau would probably command support in Britain but iu the present state of affairg in France, it is' frankly not regarded with .eonfldence.* This lack of confiaence unfortunately applies to almost all aspects of the Freneh situation. The divisions and antipathies which have arisen between the Freneh political parties, is now so deep-rooted that any forseeable combination of parties which might provide a Government is extremely precarious. It ' is reported in at least one quarter that the Freneh arjned fofces are Communist or Communist sympathisers and there is little sign yet of any practical effort by the Freneh to achieve their own economie salyation.

American disquiet at recent developmestis is also eyident and it is generally believed that American efforts to effect a reconciliation with Bpain spring largely from a growing fear that the battle against Commnhism is being lost iu France, Reports from France itself suggest that in the present mood of cynicism and defeatism which has taken' possession of the Freneh population, only the parties with a fanatieal ajiimus such as the Communists and de Gaullists, are prospering, Snperflcially this mood is due to the eombined effects of war weariness, inflation and political division but essentially it deriyes from a conviction that no Goyernment France is at present capable of producing by constitutional means, will give.the country the leadership it' so urgently u-equires, It is realised that in the eireumstances, both Communists and fle Gaullists have all the incentives they need" to make the situation still wor.se.