LAVAL'S DESIGNS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reinholz, in his interesting analysis of Laval's political intrigues (in last week's issue), suggests that the plan to merge the two parties of Deat and Doriot must be the result of pressure from Laval. He remarks that the possibility of this merger being a joint effort of self-preservation against Laval "can be safely neglected." But can it? Laval's energies have abnormally been directed towards playing off one against the other, and it is difficult to see what he can gain from their combination. At the very moment when Laval's lease of power from the Germans is becoming precarious they have everything to gain by pooling :heir own nuisance-values and standing out plainly as alternative candidates for the post of chief collaborationist agent in France. The dismissal of Benoist-Mechin is fresh and impressive evidence that Laval would never brook their active participation in his own Government, and Marshal Petain's known reluctance to accept either Deat or Doriot throws them back entirely on German favour as their only hope of power. Their mutual embrace is more probably designed to impress the Germans and exploit Nazi impatience with Laval than a concession to Laval's demands.'
Moreover, it is doubtful whether Laval really cherishes the hope of leading a "well-organised people's movement," on the model of the Nazi Party in Germany. Laval has too shrewd a grasp of political realities not to know that French Fascism is not a popular mass-movement such as German Fascism, and that his own forte is not so much the popular demagogue as the political intriguer. He has always played something of a lone hand in politics, and his policy these last six months has been —as ever—to wriggle himself into the middle of the see-saw of power, straddling both zones and playing off the organised Movements of one zone against the corresponding organisations in the other. Petain's Legion was offset by the Tricolour Legion, and the central committee " co- ordinating " them was controlled by Laval's placemen. The S.O.L. was primarily recruited from Petain's Legion, but members were urged to join the Tricolour Legion. Thus all organisations are confused rather than fused, balanced off against one another rather than merged together. The same method has been used in " co-ordinating " the trade unions. Laval can scarcely hope to play the Hitler to Petain's Hindenburg—he has neither the fanatical personal following nor the popular enthusiasm behind him. But he is long adept at using a conflict of forces to keep his own head above water, and he is the " middleman " par excellence. May the pattern of his " designs " be not so much a Fascist hierarchical pyramid, with himself at the apex, as a delicately poised see-saw, with himself manipulating the balance and driving the hardest possible bargain
with all parties?—Yours sincerely, DAVID THOMSON. Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.
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