LETTERS
A Letter from Paris APRIL 9 You ask me about Messali Hadj and the MNA. This is an extremely complicated story and I hesitate to take any categoric position. It would seem that the French...
...Conclusion...
...This claim does not appear to be false, but it remains to be seen to what extent the militants of an organization tolerated by the F'rcnch authorities can capitalize upon and organize such a diffuse influence...
...He also said no to Bourguiba's request that he efface himself before the FLN...
...In my eyes, and from the French standpoint, the reasons for this are entirely natural and even legitimate...
...As for the political aims of the American State Department, they are sworn only to one thing: Do everything not to be absent from these events, even if it's a question of our own funeral...
...Moscow wants neutralization of the Sahara and all military bases in North Africa...
...the Sahar;: will be neutralized, the naval base at Mers-elKebir will not become a NATO base...
...It is likewise a fact that he refused to recognize the authority of the FLN to negotiate with France in the name of all the Algerians...
...This new orientation of the FLN is in conflict with that of Bourguiba, and even with the official Russian line which approves of negotiations with France and recommends that the FLN accept a transitional phase for the preparation of selfdetermination...
...They therefore represent a guarantee against Soviet influence in North Africa...
...It would seem that the French government recently thought of using the MNA and Messali as a counterweight to the FLN and that this project took shape just when the Evian negotiations appeared to be set...
...Russia's aim is to lead France itself to increase its role of opposition within the Western alliance and to come out in favor of the creation of a European and neo-neutralist African bloc...
...They are also at odds with Nasser and Moscow's other Arab friends...
...What is certain, however, is that Messali was able to hold a meeting of more than 2.000 of his supporters on the property wheer he is held under house continued on page 136 A LETTER FROM PARIS Continued from second cover surveillance 30 miles from Paris...
...is profiting from the tolerance of the French authorities in order to rebuild its movement...
...Not so simple...
...Paris is operating under a double hypothesis: first, that the MNA has a potential mass base in Algeria...
...It is impossible for me to tell right now to what extent the MNA, even in Algeria...
...The FLN is tied to the International Communist bloc and includes an internal tendency whose orientation, thought and funda· mental political conceptions have nothing in common with democracy and everything in common with Communism of the Moscow variety (Fidel Castro...
...As usual, they will think they are carrying out a revolution and will only have prolonged the fighting for strategic reasons over which they have no control...
...but some degree of bluff and deception in it must be taken into account...
...A source close to the government informs me that this operation has taken on a certain size already...
...If this is the case, Moscow is not opposed to negotiations between France and the FLN but wants the Algerians to be as firm as possible in the course of the negotiations on those points of interest to Soviet strategy...
...or to what extent it has succeeded in doing this...
...For the time being at least, Messali and the MNA can do nothing in this story...
...Messali proposes to negotiate with France, either at a "round table" conference or parallel to the FLN...
...France will yield in the belid it is making a compromise...
...Messali considers the FLN to be a movement not authentically nationalist...
...f"urtbcr, the Mcssalists have fought Moscow and the Stalinists for more than 30 years...
...The most likely explanation to me seems to be that Russia intends to make use of the Algerians' doubts and hesitations to put pressure on France...
...Under the circumstances, de Gaulle, who has taken a stand in favor of Algerian independence, now seems concerned about the nature of that independence...
...He is trying to assure the future in terms of French economic interests on the other side of the Mediterranean, in particular the Sahara, and also in terms of resistance to Soviet and Chinese pressure on Africa...
...Moreover, the latest developments do not prove him to be wrong...
...The Algerians will also think they have made a compromise...
...Let the revolution continue...
...My impression is that this is what Moscow will obtain...
...PAUL PARISOT...
...It now says, "We will not sacrifice the revolution to independence...
...Is this megalomania on his part...
...What does this mean...
...That we could now obtain independence, but under such conditions that this independence would be circumscribed by an agreement with France which would prevent us from freely choosing our international orientation and which would force us to remain economically tied to France...
...The FLN, made sensitive by France's effort to reintroduce Messali into the game, has given a new and extremely interesting definition of its delaying maneuvers...
...There is something mysterious in this...
...The tellagha, having fought for the independence of Algeria, will go on fighting so that Algeria will not be attached-either closely or even remotely-to the Western bloc...
Vol. 8 • April 1961 • No. 2
