Show I R r Allied Command Aided By French Underground aP w. w Quarter of Million Men in France Said to Be sF and Able to Bear Anxious 1 r t Ready yr b Arms Against Germans i I B By BAUKHAGE f v I News Analyst and Commentator W W U U Service Union Trust Building r Washington D. D C. C Arms are what we want arms iti arms arms II r My companion leaned across the table and pounded it with Gallic fervor his black e eyes es flashing It was our first meeting for more than a year and I knew that those thos e eyes es fixed fled on me so earnestly had hadr r met the light of the desert sun for he he had fought with the Free French forces under De in fn Africa and had had many an adventure I serving his country abroad before he returned for this visit to his temporary temporary tem- tem J. J d' d home We have a quarter of a million I men in the French underground ready willing able and anxious to tot t bear arms only arms only one out of 20 of those has a single firearm and that means that while 12 men can harrass harrass har- har rass the German forces as they are doing every day and every night despite their inadequate help from the outside others must sit twiddling their thumbs They are getting very cry tired of waiting but their ennui would leave them if firearms firearms firearms fire fire- arms could be put in their hands If America will provide them we will willI I 1 guarantee to get them into France we will guarantee to transport them and distribute them It Is very difficult to write of that I shadowy world the European underground underground under under- ground for tor even the few tew scraps of Information which one might piece together make a dangerous pattern pattern pat pat- tern which might bring swift enemy reprisal There is no question about the efficiency and the effectiveness of this silent army in France in all the occupied countries for that mat mat- ter There is no question about the t fact that through it flows a steady stream of information out of the heart of the enemy territory right back to the Allied high commands Today two-thirds two of the Creusot factories once the makers of the famous French long a n vital source of the German arms supply t I have been put out of commission by a group of loyal Frenchmen according acc ac- ac cording c to a story that tha t Is now current current cur- cur J rent in Washington Few Involved ai i They did it at very little expense t few men were involved and not a single civilian life lite was lost They did it by blowing up a key dam and K thus cutting off the electric power from rom the plant At least three expensive expensive expensive ex ex- pensive Allied air raids long and carefully planned had failed to destroy deo destroy de de- o stroy this dam Not long ago word came to another another another an an- other group of these French guerr guerrillas guer- guer r J I. I rillas that a German train was about to move over a certain stretch of track The bolts were removed removed removed re re- moved and the rails spread Then I i came came the word that ahead of the train was a passenger train Immediately men were sent Q I. I out to flag the the passenger train and order it to to slow down while other men worked feverishly t to put back the bolts The passenger train went wenton on safely Once more the bolts were withdrawn and before long s 's the train was a wrecked t 1 a and d smoking mass No French civilian ci- ci f tc vilian had been injured Less dramatic is the thankless e If and difficult task which the French National Committee of Liberation has before it attempting g to work out with the provisional assembly the machinery for administering the areas of ot France as they are liberated liberat liberat- ed by the Allied armies The committee committee committee com com- must labor in hi an atmosphere of deliberation and enforced delay I which the mood of the underground finds it hard to grasp The members of the French National National National Na Na- Committee of Liberation with headquarters In Algiers have gradually gradually gradually grad grad- achieved more and more authority authority authority au au- under the Allies There have been many obstacles to overcome and the French of course feel that they have not been given the free freehand freehand freehand hand which they desired and de de- served However within recent weeks it has been evident that the Allies are arc changing their ultraconservative ultraconservative ultraconservative ultra con policy and it is now taken for lor granted that representatives of ot this committee and later the provisional provisional provisional pro pro- visional assembly which meets In Africa and which is made up of persons persons' representing various groups in France will be given the responsibilities of of administering the re- re occupied French territory as it is liberated liberated lib lib- lib lib- piece by piece also of creating creating creating cre cre- the machinery for the final which will decide the permanent permanent permanent per per- manent government Great Difficulties The committee itself works under great difficulties Many of the members members members mem mem- bers are utterly inexperienced in politics and they have responsibilities ties much greater than a normal governmental body would have They must serve as an administrative tive agency they must serve as a quasi legislative body and they must likewise plan regula regulations governing governing governing gov gov- procedure in the interim between between between be be- tween liberation of France and the time when a free election is held The recent meeting of the assembly assembly assembly assem assem- bly February 29 began the long and complicated consideration of the plans for the provisional govern govern- ment One typical plan suggested can now be described in some detail although of course it is likely to be modified as a result of the discussion discussion discussion discus discus- sion in the coming weeks and months and in its application there there- after It covers roughly two phases First Is partial liberation Just as soon as the Allies Ames have taken over a portion of France and the military organization moves forward forward for for- ward the French committee would be placed in charge under this plan Immediately tely municipal officers would be selected councils for each mu mu- When an entire province has been taken over each municipal municipal municipal pal council already functioning would select delegates to the assembly now existing in Algiers There are at present about members of this assembly composed of Frenchmen who have been selected by the un L-i- underground organizations by political political cal organizations and by labor and other groups and have been smuggled smuggled smuggled smug smug- into Africa They would be joined or perhaps substituted by the newly elected delegates chosen by the municipal groups of each province There would be approximately approximately approximately one for each inhabitants tants Finally the day comes when Allied Allied Allied Al Al- lied troops march down the Champs and across the Seine to the Place du Palais Bourbon Then the ancient building which housed the chamber of deputies of the Third Republic will open its doors to the new assembly By this thi time it will probably represent at least two two- thirds s of France Second Step Now the second step of the plan now considered will be taken The assembly will have reached depending on the populations liberated liberated liberated liber liber- some members Then the provisional government I use the word government In Inthe Inthe inthe the European sense we would call caU it the cabinet with an executive head would be chosen by the assembly as as' as- as The national committee would cease to be the executive body but would assist the assembly under under un un- un der this chosen government to work workout workout workout out the plan for the general election election elec elec- tion which would decide upon the form of government which France would have However this election could not be held at once for the thousands upon thousands of Frenchmen taken from their homes for forced labor laborin in Germany and elsewhere would have to be repatriated first Every attempt is now being made to carry out the preliminary plans for procedures in the spirit if not exactly in accordance with the letter let ter of the French constitution and law There are however many practical difficulties which arise Take the question of woman suf suf- frage Under the French constitution constitution tion women are not permitted to vote However at present with most of the men away in the army or as deportees in Germany the women make up the majority of the population Therefore it would be desirable for them to cast the ballot ballotin in order to get a true representative opinion of any locality Meanwhile the cry of the loyal loya Frenchman in and out of his country country coun coun- try is for arms and ammunition dynamite and the other tools ol of sabotage and demolition with which they believe they can vitally disrupt disrupt dis dis- rupt communications and assist the invasion |