23 OCTOBER 1920, Page 13

THE HORROR, ON THE RHINE.

LTo THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR.—A. correspondent in your issue of October 2nd seems in- dined to give credence to Mr. E. D. Morel's charges aguinst the French native troops on the Rhine. I am not prepared to say that every French soldier, white or coloured, is a Galahad, but I am sure that the Germans have deliberately exaggerated any misdeeds that may bave occurred.

During the war many thousands of coloured troops, Senegalese, Malagasies and Tonkinese, were camped in Southern France. Their conduct, by all the evidence of the inhabitants. was excellent. There was no theft, and very little immorality.

In the occupied area of Germany there are now very few Preach African negro troops, but many Moroccans, who are Preach citisens. They are fierce-looking men, often a good deal fairer than Southern Frenchmen, and they exalts no remark as they walk about the German towns. The Germans feel that it M a humiliation to have these Moroccan troops in occupation, and the French are not sorry to find that the Germans are humiliated. But France employs the Moroccans on the Rhine solely because she has not enough white troops for the work.

The tales of outrage which Mr. Morel accepts from his German friends need to be investigated. From all I heard on the Rhine such tales were rarely, if ever, substantiated. I am assured that the German local authorities themselves have contradicted such allegations and even praised the conduct of the French troops.—I am, Sir, &c., X.