How to Win Friends

In French North Africa and in liberated Italy, Communist leaders rapidly dispelled the idea that they are still genuine sea-green revolutionaries. There, and elsewhere, what was once the Communist Left moved into ever closer league with the Right.

Communist Franc,ois Billoux, youngish (41) ex-dockhand, ex-Deputy, now a French Committee Minister Without Portfolio, pledged his party to cooperation with all other parties, no matter how Rightist, so long as they had not sold out to Germany. Said he, reversing the old Communist tenet that stormy weather is good weather: "We do not want civil war. We fear that civil war might completely destroy France. We could not build Communism on a ruin."

Communist Fernand Grenier, youngish (42) ex-clerk, ex-Deputy, now the French Committee's Commissioner for Air, spoke up against political purging. Said he: men should be judged not by past actions but by present performances. Communist Grenier and his comrades had good reason to advocate this policy. Not long ago he said: "In the prewar and early war period many of us were Communists first, Frenchmen second. Now we are Frenchmen first, Communists second."

Communist Palmiro Togliatti, 51, Genoa-born, Comintern-trained, now Minister Without Portfolio in the new Italian Government, led onetime antiroyalist politicians in swearing allegiance to the House of Savoy. In the revamped Cabinet, his party held the all-important Ministry of Agriculture, with influence in every Italian village. Observers reported that Communist--and Russian--prestige had never been higher in Italy.

These moves need have surprised nobody. They were consistent with Moscow's announced, nonrevolutionary policy in Europe. By the Communists' current definition (as always, subject to change without notice), any friend of the Soviet Union is a good friend.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.