De Gaulle in Algeria
TAS, SAL
De Gaulle in Algeria A personal and political triumph By Sal Tas Paris Charles de Gaulle's trip to Algeria was a triumph, personally and politically. Everywhere tremendous crowds applauded him...
...What is his solution for the Algerian problem...
...Yes, general," answered the audience, awe-stricken...
...and asked sharply for unconditional obedience...
...At the end of his trip, in Bone, he finally decided to give the Algerians a piece of his mind...
...This means that de Gaulle calmly pockets roughly five million votes for his constitutional-reform proposals...
...Apart from that, they will have to elect local councils and an Algerian Assembly...
...De Gaulle asked the Arab guerrillas to renounce the fight and participate in these elections...
...For the Algerian Moslems, whatever their differences in internal matters, will certainly vote en bloc for de Gaulle's proposal, simply as a vote of confidence in de Gaulle...
...De Gaulle would negotiate the future status of Algeria either with the deputies to the Palais Bourbon or with the representatives of the Algerian Assembly...
...And these negotiations would lead to a reconstruction of the French empire on a federal basis...
...de Gaulle asked...
...If they remain loyal to the FLN, then de Gaulle must negotiate directly with the FLN to get its participation in elections...
...For, they felt, the enormous costs of integration would dissuade the metropolitan French from attempting it on a serious basis...
...Everywhere tremendous crowds applauded him wildly...
...The second plan was Soustelle's idea of "integration": Algeria would become a French province...
...This cynical speculation was upset by the rebellion, for the rebelling officers took the slogan of integration seriously...
...If the FLN refuses to participate, will the Algerian masses follow them or de Gaulle...
...integration of Algeria into France, integration of the Moslems into French society, abolition of Parliament and the political parties and their replacement by a network of Public Safely committees which would govern France along totalitarian lines...
...He could do no less, for on this the Army and the Arab FLN were already agreed...
...Moslems and French would get completely equal status...
...Integration, of course, implied a major social and economic upheaval, but the French colons in Algeria never took that too seriously...
...and at times this chorus even drowned out the cry, "Vive de Gaulle...
...You cannot make a revolution every day, de Gaulle said...
...Many certainly long for an end to the war...
...Solid guarantees for the French minority would be built into this system...
...For Algeria is a deficit territory, and will become even more so as it attempts to integrate its Moslem population...
...Most of the officers were only too happy to feel the firm hand of authority again...
...In fact, for the colons integration meant that the 9 million Moslems would be imbedded one way or another among the 40 million French and thus made powerless...
...He promised the Moslems complete equality, politically first, socially afterward...
...meanwhile, a generous social policy would raise Moslem living standards...
...Has everybody understood me...
...De Gaulle made his trip not to solve the Algerian problem, but to reestablish order and authority...
...Then, at a private reception, with that haughty affability of which he is a master, he told the assembled Public Safety men, officers and state officials what he expected of them: He was head of the Government...
...With these words the pretensions of the Public Safety committees to political monopoly were torn to shreds...
...But, confronted with the imposing figure of le grand Charles, all the military reflexes of obedience operated in them...
...But their confidence in the future status of Algeria will depend on the behavior of the French Army...
...And if the FLN sticks to its refusal, the war continues...
...De Gaulle also wished to retain his freedom to maneuver...
...But de Gaulle would have none of this...
...The Public Safety Committees were told to stop meddling in Government business and limit their activity to propaganda aimed at winning the hearts of the Moslems...
...And this week we must acknowledge that de Gaulle kept his word to Franoe's republican political parties — and kept it with a rare political virtuosity...
...they ask complete independence as a preliminary to negotiations...
...He angrily silenced the crowd that started to interrupt him with the cry of "Soustelle...
...But de Gaulle never mentioned Soustelle's name, or the phrases "integration" or "French Algeria...
...Jacques Soustelle and his followers were Irving to press their political program on De Gaulle...
...The giant figure of de Gaulle on the platform dwarfed the generals and Public Safety Committee members who surrounded him, and their dominance of the Algerian scene shrank with each de Gaulle appearance...
...for an armistice is a preliminary to real elections...
...He therefore soaked his declaration in big, cloudy, emotion-laden words like "republic," "fraternity," "fatherland," etc...
...He would decide Algerian policy...
...Up to now, there have been two French plans for Algeria...
...This was not only a proof of his loyalty to the Paris politicians who had placed their confidence in him...
...They may be the same persons, as is the case for French Central Africa...
...They are not to rule France...
...De Gaulle announced complete equality, politically and socially...
...It is possible that Tunisia and Morocco will try to persuade the FLN to participate in the elections...
...To achieve this result, de Gaulle masterfully pulled out all the organ stops of authority and obedience...
...De Gaulle left Algeria master of the situation, with General Raoul Salan in undisputed control as his representative...
...while they, the colons, would remain masters of Algeria...
...To win over the Algerian French with a minimum of frustration, de Gaulle had to avoid shocking formulas...
...He made his big speech in Algiers according to his own plan, and thereupon repeated that speech everywhere...
...If the Committees of Public Safety tried to conquer France to destroy the traditional political system and install their own dictatorship, there would certainly be trouble in metropolitan France and probably even fighting in the streets...
...To be sure, many tumultuous rebels are bitterly disappointed, but the Army holds the power in Algeria...
...In this lie succeeded beyond expectations...
...complete equality means that they will send 100 to 150 deputies to the National Assembly in Paris...
...it was an act of political sagacity...
...Constantine and Bone were jammed with French Army trucks, packed with Moslems who, more or less spontaneously, joined the demonstrations...
...But it is one thing to applaud an anti-Government action that brings de Gaulle to power...
...To be sure, the French people watched the rebellion with astonishing complacency...
...The Army had to obey him and from now on would have to stay completely out of politics...
...Paratroop General Jacques Massu, idol of the Algerian French, got a sharp warning to stick strictly to his military job...
...The FLN has already rejected it...
...The crowds, spurred by activists of Soustelle's organization, shrieked "Soustelle...
...Partly this is deliberate...
...Algeria would become not a province of France, not an independent state, but a federal part of the French Union—a structure yet to be devised...
...But these are questions of the future, and we live here now from day to day...
...Then the Algerians participate in the vote for a new French Parliament...
...Then I am going to shake hands with all of you," said de Gaulle with a friendly smile...
...Soustelle...
...If Algeria remained French but its inhabitants were completely equal, their military pride, patriotism and social conscience would all be satisfied...
...Which way will the masses of Algeria go...
...In the same way they will elect their representatives, and with these representatives the Government will discuss "the rest...
...These formulas have a firm undertone but a rather vague outline...
...The Premier thanked them for that, but told them to stop there...
...The roacls leading to Algiers, Oran...
...He announced that they will participate in the coming constitutional referendum, voting with the French in a single electorate...
...But that would suppose tremendous faith by the FLN in the intentions and power of de Gaulle...
...And here we come to the second major issue of de Gaulle's trip...
...But he also announced that the Government would discuss with the elected representatives of Algeria "the rest"—which can only mean Algeria's future status...
...it is another matter to accept the dictatorship of 900,000 Algerian French over 40 million metropolitan Frenchmen —especially when the 40 million must pay for the very existence of the 900,000...
...They could lead the Army in a situation of confusion, in the days that the Paris Government was throwing away all sorts of authority...
...Will it permit propagandists for Algerian nationalism to participate...
...Though the Moslems could outvote the French in Algeria, this could never endanger the unity of the French state since Algeria would not get a parliament of its own...
...One must wait to see if the Algerians accept this plan...
...Will the Army tolerate really free elections...
...The Algerian mutineers started a revolution that brought de Gaulle to power...
...Some colonels certainly sympathize with the extremists, but they are a minority...
...De Gaulle would become the constitutional head ami Soustelle the political chief of this system...
...To save France we need all Frenchmen...
...What de Gaulle wants is this: First, all of Algeria participates in the vote on the referendum...
...One was embodied in the so-called "framework law" devised by Robert Lacoste: Moslems and French would elect local councils in a single electoral body and, through these councils, an Algerian Parliament...
Vol. 41 • June 1958 • No. 24
