Joy in Europe

Sirs: You may be interested in hearing how the news of President Roosevelt's re-election was received by the citizens of France.

I can best describe the reactions of the people by saying that I--an American citizen, homeward bound, had the impression of being swept along the road between Paris and Lisbon on a wave of enthusiasm and affection --all of which was meant for Mr. Roosevelt.

My car bore the insignia of the American Field Service and the American Red Cross; therefore, on November 5 and 6, I became the representative of the American tradition.

I took the cheers--I heard the pleas--which tried to ascend the wall of tragic and unnatural silence behind which the French people are imprisoned, which were directed toward the President of the United States--and toward the American nation. The French are enormously grateful to the American people--"for being chic, you know, for showing, et si largement, to the best man that they knew how to appreciate his merits. . . ." As the French see it, the American people have made a gesture of friendship for France in electing their President, their first--and last--friend.

Before leaving Paris on the afternoon of November 5, we--my wife and I--stopped to say good-by to our old friend, the proprietor of the large cafe in the Place Marceau. We expected to find him rather sad at our departure; but no--he was all smiles: "You will be coming back before long," he said, "and to a happier France! For I have just heard good news. I have just heard a German soldier grumbling: 'Du lieber Gott, I greatly fear that Roosevelt has been re-elected!' There is a high moral authority in question, you see, which (thank God!) is not powerless against our enemies. . . ." And we observed that the Germans sang less in Paris on that day. . . .

And people talked to us, as if--through us --they hoped to get a message through to the President of the United States. "Tell him not to forget us. ... Tell him not to lose faith in us. If ever you have the honor of meeting Monsieur le President, will you please try to make him understand that, in spite of all that has happened, France is still the same? We are not a nation of cowards and weaklings.

Events are liars--we were not defeated--we were sold, betrayed. . . ." Spain also had her message: "We are glad of the re-election of Roosevelt," the Spaniards told us. "It will mean a certain restraint on certain people! We do not want war--but we are oxen, with the yoke around our necks--dreading to be led to a second slaughter." Portugal, too. . . . We drove over the side of a precipice in the fog--only a small rock had saved our car from rolling down the mountainside. In the pitch blackness, a crew of ten workingmen struggled to save our car from destruction, risking their necks on the slippery slope where, at any time, the car might have rolled over on them. Their work triumphantly finished, they refused to accept payment. "We do not take money from Red Cross workers, from Americans," their spokesman said, "for the Americans are our friends. We look to them to save us from being pushed over a precipice. . . ." And we drove off to heartfelt cries of "Viva I' America! Viva Roosevelt !"

MAURICE BARBER

American Field Service in France American Red Cross Lisbon, Portugal

Concurrence

Sirs:

The Greeks claimed to have an army of fighters.

The Italians came, they saw, they concurred.

E. M. MUNRAB Boston, Mass.

"Probably Raine"

Sirs:

I have read with interest the telegram entitled "Synthetic Peat" [TIME, Dec. 16]. . . . Like your correspondent, Mr. Norman Reilly Raine, I think the time has come when the Irish should be willing to say to England that their ports may be used by the English. What chance would Ireland have with Germany if England is conquered, should she be conquered? Not the slightest! . . .

T. BRADY JR.

Brookhaven, Miss.

Sirs: ... It might be well for [Mr. Raine] to pause in his cultural activities in Hollywood long enough to read a little Irish history.

He will find that there is nothing the Germans have done--or are purported to have done--to the Jews, which the English ruling classes have not done, at one time or another, to the Irish. . . .

ALEC L. PERRO

Minot, N. Dak.

Sirs:

WESTERLY BREEZES SLIGHTLY UNSETTLED PROBABLY RAINE.

BOB O'REILLY

Chicago, Ill.

Sirs:

I WONDER WOULD THAT (SYNTHETIC) AMERICAN OF (SYNTHETIC) IRISH EXTRACTION, NORMAN REILLY RAINE, BE GOOD ENOUGH TO INFORM US WHAT KIND OF MEAT HE PREFERS ON A FRIDAY?

CHARLES O'MALLEY Philadelphia, Pa.

> Scenarist-Fictionist Raine (Tugboat Annie), who criticized Eire's refusal to let Britain use Irish ports as illogical and unrealistic, replies thus to Reader O'Malley's question: "NUAIR ITH-EANN NA H-EIRENNAIGH FEOIL DIA H-AOINE, IOSFAD I ACHT NIL AON GOILE AGAM DO MADADH FEOIL." Translation from the Gaelic: "When Catholic Eire eats flesh on Friday, so shall I-- but I have a poor stomach for dog meat."--ED.

Dapper Eugene

Sirs:

In your issue of Nov. 18 . . . you speak of the dapper Jean La Baron. Now he may be dapper but he is Eugene Le Baron. You see, I know, being his mother. . . .

ADA COBB LE BARON La Jolla, Calif.

> TIME bows to the world's best authority on the right name of dapper, cigar-puffing Eugene Le Baron, lawyer for Central American airline TACA (recently bought by American Export Airlines).--ED.

The Morals of Jesus Sirs:

I notice in your issue of Dec. 9 that you state Thomas Jefferson's Bible made its first public appearance last week under the title Jefferson chose for it.

I presume you refer specifically to the title.

The book was published ... by the U. S. Government in 1904. The title . . . was The Morals of Jesus.

JOHN G. LEACH

Beacom College Wilmington, Del.

> Right are Reader Leach and about a dozen others who called attention to TIME'S oversight.--ED.

Confusion

Sirs:

In the recent account of the mayoralty election in Montreal, TIME'S New York staff confused Leon Trepanier with Leonard Tre-panier.

Leon Trepanier, who polled only 1,027 votes less than Mayor J. Adhemar Raynault, has a long record of civic activities and achievements. In the last war he was co-chairman of Quebec's Victory War Loan Campaign.

It was Leonard Trepanier who was supported actively by Madame Houde, wife of Montreal's ex-Mayor, interned because of his anti-war activities. Instead of being a serious factor in the election, he received so few votes that he lost his election deposit.

Had it been Leonard Trepanier who ran second in the race and not Leon there might have been cause for worry, but as it stands the election showed, if anything, that the great body of French Canadians are definitely not in sympathy with the anti-war sentiments of Montreal's ex-Mayor.

The response of Canada's French-speaking citizens to the war effort has in fact been remarkable and deserving of fuller credit and recognition. Mayor Raynault is himself a veteran of the last war and there are others whose leadership is based on high principles and abhorrence of the Hitler regime.

These people cannot be classed as disloyal or unpatriotic and rate TIME'S apologies for any inference that they are not wholeheartedly behind Canada's war effort.

FILL CALHOUN

Ottawa, Ont.

Sirs:

. . . Your suggestion that "Canada may have to clap many more French Canadians into detention camps to keep French Canada in line" [TIME, Dec. 23] is such a gross distortion that I could not discuss it in terms worthy of the mayor of a great city.

Your reference to my recent campaign brings about another false information. I wish to state that I was nobody's "political stalking horse." I had around me, during that campaign, supporters from the two political parties of the Province of Quebec, as I had working against me certain people from the same parties. The population of Montreal knows that, and well-informed people can vouch that Mr. Maurice Duplessis did not, at any time during the campaign, support my candidature. . . .

Your writer may also be interested to learn that in attacking me, he was attacking a wounded veteran of the last Great War, voluntarily enlisted. . . .

ADHEMAR RAYNAULT

The Mayor of Montreal

Office of the Mayor Montreal, Quebec

> TIME'S story was off base. It confused Leon and Leonard Trepanier and as a result drew the wrong conclusions. TIME apologizes to all concerned and regrets any disparagement of the loyalty and patriotism of French Canadians. -- ED.

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