The Status of France
The opportunity which M. Schuman's visit to London gives for a reassessment of relations between France and this country and, indeed, between France and the world in general, is clearly not being wasted. Long before the popular tendency to alarm and despondency about the future of the Fourth Republic had reached its gloomiest depth, in the closing weeks of 1948, the more far- sighted observers had realised that it was going too far. It was true enough that economic difficulties, both budgetary and general, had taken not only particular governments but the whole apparatus of government near the edge of danger. It is still true that, despite the success of M. Queuille in getting his Budget through by the end of the year, the menace of economic chaos is still not very far removed. But the solid physical evidence of recovery, given by increasing production all round, is a safer indicator than the mercurial antics of finance of the fundamental stability of France. Economic weakness is there, but it is not deadly. It is powerful enough to hamper the formulation and pursuit of the enlightened and effective foreign policy to which France is feeling her way ; but if students of France in this country are not able to distinguish and give due weight to the deeper tendency as against the surface eddies, then the advantages of proximity, of common interest, and of fundamental sympathy have been thrown away. There is nothing in the issues which have led to argument between Britain and France in the past few months—the Ruhr, the organisation of a united Europe, and Europeans economic planning—which cannot be amicably settled. There is no British misunderstanding of fundamental French foreign policy—and heaven knows they are numerous enough—which cannot be removed by that sanity and patience which M. Schuman typifies. A start can be made with the mis-
apprehensions which are current concerning the French attitude to Germany. It is far nearer the truth to say that France desires security through Franco-German understanding than to say that she is seeking that security through repression of every German attempt at recovery. It is as -ridiculous to assert that France ,is clinging blindly to her luxury industries as it is to pretend that it is the British intention to destroy *lose industries. When these facts are made clear, and the misapprehensions which took a hold in 1948 are swept away, the common advance of inseparable allies can be resumed.
