1941-02-07 — Page 55

4

THE CHINA MAIL, FEBRUARY 7, 1941.

CHINA MAIL

D.

--WINDSOR HOUSE

"SHOULD BRITAIN FAIL"

Page

INSIDE FRANCE

News from Frence during the past few weeks has been scanty, are out from such reports as available there appears to have been little or no change in the material situation of that unfor- tunate country. But there is evj-

of con- apare for taking it out of France, ed by the sudden and unexpected, against such advocates

think that breakdown of French resistance.tinued resistance as Paul Reynaud, who would, thus escape relatively One of these signs is evidence of Mandel, and others. The Germans lightly I personally a very definite change of attitude themselves were delighted with this beller would have proved a There is enough greed this tendency and did all that they fallacy.

German in the towards Great Britain.

You can and brutality could to encourage it. see for yourselves the advantage make-up, to produce plenty of for all. However that te Germany of having a France misery which would transfer her hatred of may be, the belief certainly exist-

numbers former ally. | éd, and so large

all of the invader to her distortion was used in the process, course-awaited with resignation Every imaginable form of lie and Frenclumen-though not

to be Bri- what they expected and for a time it came off.

tain's early and crushing defeat.

Until Germany began her so- aerial blitzkrieg against One passage in a tele-dence of a striking change in the called

millions of people many French Britain many gram addressed to Mr. frame of mind of

people. It is true that M. Laval, across the Channel were in a state After Roosevelt by advocates the apostle of complete subser- of fiery resentment against Britain

rumbios for a variety of reasons. to Germany, he where

receives the first terrible shock of sudden i Paris, of greater aid to Britain vience

and utter defeat had passed away orders us Abetz may such

wonder how and must challenge the least

You may they began to of choose to give him. reader attentive

remember that it was Abetz who why it had happened, For a time so skilfully directed the Nazi dam- the sins of their own politicians America's newspapers.

the shortcomings of their corruption in France and Paris military organisation were rightly The signers of this mes-paign of propaganda, bribery, and and

mediately preceding

-By- sage urge the President to in particular-in the months im- inform the country "clear-break of war

Thomas Cadett ly and boldly of the pos sibilities of English failure and of the consequences to us and to our children's children should Britain! fail."

the out- And just as then he found Frenchmen who wer?

ready to act as his tools, so now some who apparently there e feel that the best hope for France is tame submission to an enemy

has never concealed

to who

determination long-standing reduce their country to the status 01 a third-class power.

his

chief causes of regarded as the the disaster. But there is always A natural tendency to shift the blame for failure upon sumcone and this was Lelse's shoulders, France

cleverly exploited to the full, both course, to put up

by some of the guilty parties and resistance to ility

by the Germans themselves.

In her present plight fail."

can't hope. of may successful

"Should Britain What, Americans ask, is the very best that they can expect if that dire thing should come to pass? A brooding and un-

in easy peace; a peace which they would con- tinue to arm feverishly not because they could trust the future; burdens of taxation such as they cannot contemplate on the basis of any experi- ence they have had thus far; their own democracy refashioned into som e kind of totalitarianism as they struggled both to economy support a war and to hold a dwindling And the share of trade. worst?

in

of

wa-

it may be. Yet there is a world

ance

|

the

was

of

Let me give you an examplę. I recently met a French airman

Well here Britain is, still un- in Morocco when, who was unhappy incident occurred at Oran invaded, being heavily battered it the giving as well as faking punish- Britain's (where the British, were obliged is true, but film on her feet and to take ection to prevent

And suddenly French Fleet from sailing

off ment to surrender and inevitably to former allies across the Channel are beginning to realise that for This seizure by the Germans),

the first time since he started his he airman told me that when

a snag-and a Hitler has struck heard about the action he bitterly march towards world domination, regretted it but nevertheless felt that the British could have done very nasty one at that. He has, as the French say, 'tombe sur But then he heard nothing else.

run up against And with that that British aeroplanes had fired un bec de guz'

French sailors lamp-post,

knowledge has come wisdom and the water,

The wisdem lles in upon defenceless struggling in

new hope. boiling with rage when I was told

have victory alone fies any possibility for France; this,' he said. 'If I had had a plane the realisation that in a British at that moment, 1 would

of restored freedom bombed any-

evidence lies in the taken it up and

the hope thing British within reach. But two or three days later I heard Britons have given of their capa- the truth, When your plane, dew city to hold on grimly and steadily over our ships, they were fired increase their strength at the same

fime. machine-guns by French upon wise have been called to account justifiable bitterness of

from the shore, and it was the bullets whipping the nation as a whole should be sight of their diverted against another target.down again into the water which

the Lavals, the led

people to believe that So you found

Flandins, and their British had been guilty of a wick- Bonnets, the

add that the like encouraging their countrymen ed crime. I may

truth has never been allowed to to believe that Great Britain was

the piece. The reach the French people. villain of the Britons had forced them into war, they had failed to give them the support they had promised, they had cut and

Το heart. of a rebellious

German demand, however onerous

Obviously it was to the of difference between willing sub- servience and the sullen perform-vantage of those who might other- their credit some members of the that the Vichy Government seem to do as little as they can to please their but It is German task-masters. not from Vichy that the seeds of French resistance will be sown. The signs that France, the real France, is not dead come from elsewhere, Enough is now known to encourage the belief that parts of certain sections of the com- mubity-I will say no more than that are beginning to drag them selves out of the sough of des-

you

Another thing made the French people hope for Britain's defeat. run, leaving them it was the belief that if she went (the French) to face disaster. To under Germany would be so busy make the accusation more plau-wreaking revenge upon pond into which they were plung-sible, charges were trumped up that she would have little time to

Britain

Public Opinion In War

It would be absurd to suggest that the result has been to set all that France upon the road to

and stubborn passive resistance

non-cooperation which the spirit of can do so much tu hamper task of any conqueror. But I do believe-and many independent Press reports confirm this that more and more people are begin- ning to hope for Britain's victory, more and more sincerely wish her in what they hear of the heavy well, more and more take delight price she extracts from Germany in the air, both in her defensive And I and offensive operations.

the Germans believe, too, that themsehras have begun to realise this. At first the attitude of the was Nazi Army of Occupation

and for a serupulously correct,

time this had its effect, making the French feel that after all per- were not as haps the Germans or- There is no reason to believe that black as they had been painted. even now the actual demeanour

for the worse.

The extent to which freedom of liefs, to criticise, and to exercise cluse watch on every phase of the

in opinion is allowed England, his traditional liberties. In war-war and on all ministerial

ence.

tes--

By Eugene Lennhoff,

noted Swiss journalist, now

living in London.

London to see an international suffer members

was

Half a dozen

work.

of

less

cauatic

peace

39

inimitable

than in

time

of

Patriotic Critics

the

dictum guns come before

of

Britain under fascism; was, even in peace-time, a con-time, of course, even Britain has ders, and they are outspoken in

But by now the French people see that they are the Dark Ages again instant source of surprise to for- to ensure that through the Press, their opinion as to the wisdom of of the German troops has changed

eigners. One experience I had of, public speeches and other chan- the government's policy.

Shall reach They polemise as sharply

but firmly bled two

bring politely it, shortly before the outbreak of nels no information Europe; enemies on fronts; the spectre of war, left a particularly strong im- the enemy, which might prejudice before the war, while cartoons--white for the benent of their con-

pression upon my mind. London, military operations or betray vital notably those of the

the secrets.

if the tributes forced from them even then, had its bombs, vasion.

Nor can the Government allow Low-are not a whit milder or querors, It would be bad enough were limited to the huge sum for I.R.A. believing at that time that

the cost of the Army of Occupa- the United

British enemy agents, under the plea of Between

they could terrorise the

tion. States and this grim pros-public by senseless acts of viol-"democracy", to carry on mali-

But in addition, in the occupied now stands pect there

worthless marks set at a Bombs were exploded in rail- bank premises

It is true that press criticism zone imperial way stations, on not England:

of

the Germans to the neighbourhood

in England does, for the most part, proposterous rate of exchange are A number of

aim at being positive. It is not being used by England, not the England and in stations.

power

inspired by a mere wish to pil- clean out the French shopkeepers, of the Black-and-Tans, people were killed and injured.

Or individual while large-scale requisitioning of lory the cabinet not the England of the old This terrorism had been

pecially outrageous one Saturday

ministers or government depart foodstuffs is going on throughout the entire land. Some of this food ments.

the Germans caused Bombs had school tie, not the. Eng afternoon.

damage in several areas, and

The men responsible for Brit- is requisitioned by of the House

vast band of land

members of the IR.A. crossing to

feeding the for England among a crowd bound cious defeatist propaganda or ish press option are fully aware on the ground that it is mected 'Lords, but the England-

the Fifth of their responsibility, and their French soldier prisoners in their or Britain-of millions of football match, had attempted to Column to do the enemy's spade-criticism, blunt and unsparing hands. Actually these unfortun- though it may be, is intended as ate men are being kept, on the hard-working, set fire to the ship:

a contribution to the victory of verge of starvation, and the food common,

Late

I that afternoon,

name is shipped Except, however, for this ob Great Britain and the cause for stolen in their long-suffering men,

walking down Edgware Road. At

which she is fighting.

off to Germany to fill the bellies Joys complete freedom of opinion,

How far this sense of respon-of their conquerors, who for so men and children who street corner a large crowd was vious restriction, Britain still en- could end the war by a collect was serving as an improof speech, and of the printed word, sibility goes is best judged by the long, accepted

which

that articles striking There is no such thing as fadt

aGeering that surrender to-morrow if vised rostrum.

in the anti-British propaganda and held up a big flag the col department of the Ministry of In- strangly critical note appear more butter. These things are begin- they brought pressure on youths stood beside the speaker controlled press and no office or

will bünd reasonable to world their Government, but ours of the Irish rebels. The spea- formation to prescribe to new- and more over the signature of ning to leak out, and not all the

exched Papers the opinions they shall the writer.

It is extremely interesting who steadfastly refuse to ker was shouting in an

voice, hurling flerce

abserve the reaction of public Trenchmen to the fact that ruth- invective publish.

It will not be ~do so.

against England and the British

Sense And Censorship opinion to this unfettered exercise less exploitation is the penalty of

of freedom of the Press. The un-. their captivity. Government. If Americans face the

There has been a censorship certainty, the nagging, the dis-long before they realise, too, that facts they realise what their way back from an afternoon since the beginning of the war, content and dangerous under- once the German soldier has done bulwark it is that protects in the West End and had seen all but its activities are advisory and ground campaigning so general in his work of aggression and con- the broken glass, the damaged not repressive. It is concerned countries with a controlled press, quest, his victims are turned over their young men from the shop windows and the ambulances with news, not views, and it in are altogether absent in wartime to the vile gang of bullies, and terferes in no way with the ex-Britain. All the more so, because torturers under Himmler, known danger of battle and the carrying off the injured.

And yet they listened attentive-ercise of criticism in the widest every individual who has a griev-as the Gestapo,

ante or suggestions to make on a

You may ask, But what dan sense. rest from the hardshipsy to the speaker without show

expression to his private opinion they do, these Frenchmen, even that would be "should in any resentment, or making the Unlike other countries, Britain matter of public interest can give

least attempt 16 demonstrate Britain fail." That bulagainst the youths who undoubt knows nothing of editorials and in one of those Letters to the if they now realise the full con- spaces represent the censor's mut-Editor" which play so large a sequences of defeat, even if they of the British now want Great Britain? My jun- swer is that the French are in- wark, at the moment, is ely sumpathised with the ter other articles, in which

ilations. The practice especial part in the life

Press.

tense individualists, rebels ever, not the British Empire, or Nor did the police interfere.

subtle variation of Infinite and tored from the platform by a collapse of ruthlessly cutting du Just because it possesses free by nature. They are capable of the British Army, or the They too heard every word ut- ly common in Frange, until her

the opinions distasteful to the auths dom of opinion even in wartime British Air Force, or even lous speakers.

cowards, pnce they believe that If, as would have happened in orities, thereby making the pages and makes full use of it, the British Navy which

ble injury influence upon the morale of their efforts are not doomed to any other country, a forcible at of newspapers reserable # cross- British Press has an extraordin-passive resistance. Nor are they

the nation..

failure. Some of them, no doubt, has guarded the seas so tempt had been made to silence word puzzle, is ing

speaker, the police would England, long. It is the bodies of the petervened at once, but im Nat a single newspaper hesitates ↑ "The admirable spirit in which gre still owed and dejected by British civilians, exposed defence of the Irishmen, in de to criticise sharply, and as often the people of Britain have stood defeat. Others have little or no as it sees fit, government action, up to the trials and distresses of i concein but for their immediate military operations, or industrial; German air bombardment is due¡ needs and problems, food, work, of their own free choice to fence of freedom of speech.

in no small measure to the sens shelter, the reunion of broken measures, .. mutilation and death. It Freedom In `War

The papers have not become of security they dorive from free family bonds. But there is evi- whose dom of the press, to the know dence that the old Gallic pride and -is these men and women,

Has the war affected this open-colourless news-sheets, minded, democatic attitude? Not function is merely to reproduce ledge that Britain is not only fight spirit of independente which so

upholding them through darkness in the least, so far as concerns the official views and beat the patrio-ing for democratic ideals, but also recently appeared to be crushed opinion, to stand up. for his be-On the contrary, they keep a and danger.

in nightly peril, who give security and make "isola tion" possible.

Many of his listeners were

Torists;

individual's right to express

on

histic, drum.

blank

for over. is still there, and once

· again beginning to raise its head,