—Portrait of the Week— T HE LOWEST VOTE in favour of
de Gaulle's con- stitution in any constituency in France was 64 per cent.—a figure which, had it been the national average, would have been impressive enough: the actual national average, close on 80 per cent., staggered even those who had been predicting a decisive victory: Only Guinea voted to opt itself out of the new Franco-African com- munity—to become, it is expected. the first 'people's democracy,' perhapS 'the first Communist satellite, in Africa. In spite of Guinea, General de Gaulle could express himself. well content— not least with the result of the poll at Colombey- lek-deux-Eglises, where only one vote was cast against the constitution. It was not, General 'de
rernarked;'his own: *
sin dd i. WAVES registered by instruments M Japan revealed that,' as expected, the Russians had replied to continuing H-boMb tests by Britain and America with more of their.oWn—this time north Of the' Arctic. Circle. Adopting an attitude of pained surprise. the Western countries said that they nevertheless would stand 'by their Offer to discontinue tests fora sear, from the agree) date —provided the Russian did, IN AMERICA Mr. J01111 roster Dulles suddenly and unaccountably loWered the tension by admitting, in effect, that most of What he'haii been saying-in the last few weeks is bunkum. The State Depart- ment is now prepared to regard the offshore islands as expendable, provided that the Chinese Communists promise good behaviour : and Mr. Dulles is prepared to envisage a general settle- ment in the Far East. But even before he retreated from his earlier position, the attention—such as it was —given in the US to the China affair had been diverted to a succession of domestic dis- turbances, including the resignation of Mr. 'Vicuna' Adams (an undignified affair, in which Mr. Adams tried to make party capital out of his own shortcomings), and the trial of strength in I ittle Rock.
AT !tom, the Government announced .its inten- tion of withdrawing its troops from Jordan, but reiterated its determinatiOn not to withdiaw them from Cyprits=for continued occupation of the island is the inevitable concomitant of the Government's plan. As the success of a partner- ship' is dependent upon the willingness of the partners to work it, and as one of them—Greece —has no intention of doing so, it was difficult to sec what purpose could be served by stressing the Plan's 'partnership' angle; and mounting terror in Cyprus made it probable that use of the term' would soon be made even more derisory, EABOUR PARTY delegates arrived in Scarborough for their annual, conference.- in no very. happy frame of mind; and not even Mr. Gaitskell's denunciation of the Prime Minister Over Quemoy did-much to restore their morale.- On one vote. the executive was nearly committed against its will to the abolition of foe-paying-schools; on another, after . many years' service, Dr. Edith Summerskill lost her place on the executive. Mrs. Barbara Castle became the Party's new Chairman.
MR. T. S. ELIOT celebrated his seventieth birthday quietly; the Archers celebrated their 2,000th per- formance with a rousing party. at 'Ambridge.' General Sir Francis Festing became the new CIGS; Slough became the first town to give the police powers to arrest dogs . walking without visible means of attachment to their owners.
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