Murder and Mercy
HE capture of ex-General Salan may not I deprive the OAS of its most daring or efficient chief. In fact, the circumstances of his arrest suggest that he was hardly taking his duties as a resistance leader as seriously as success would have required, and that the mov- ing spirits of the campaign of murder and outrage, to which he has lent his name, are the ex-colonels and the gang-leaders of Algiers and Oran. However, this success for the French Government forces does prove that at last they are receiving proper intelligence from within the Secret Army. It is bound to discourage the forces opposed to the Algerian armistice (who are not likely to be cheered by the report that M. Georges Bidault is undertaking the political direction of the movement) as well as to re- assure the Moslem population, who have shown a good deal of patience in face of provocation. More important, the capture of the head of the OAS will allow President de Gaulle to exer- cise his prerogative of leniency towards the smaller fry. Justice must be done and be seen to be done on those who have committed murder, but it would not be good for the future of France were mercy not to be mingled with it. Once the authority of the State has been asserted, the President of the Republic can afford to avoid inconvenient martyrdoms, to heed the appeals which have been made on behalf of a native-born Algerian such as ex-General Jouhaud, and to work for reconciliation among Frenchmen. Everything in his past career sug- gests that he has both the magnanimity and the good sense to welcome this part of his task.
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