Le Nouveau Charlie

When France's gaunt General de Gaulle came to Washington last week it was exactly one year since he had marched into liberated Paris behind the might of U.S. arms. It was little more than 13 months since his last visit to the U.S., when he had repaid Franklin Roosevelt's cool reserve with a stiff hauteur of his own.

This time Charles de Gaulle was smiling, cordial, no longer unbending. His mission was obvious: to regain U.S. affection for France. He stepped out of the big, silvery Avro York plane jauntily, moved rapidly through the line of stiff-standing French officers to greet Secretary of State James Francis Byrnes. Then he walked to a microphone. The General's English was slow, but he had brushed up his vocabulary:

"The first thing I want to say ... is thank you. We have organized for an immense task, and the United States must play the greatest part. We are in a period of confidence and friendship that will bind France and the United States together." He spoke fervently, but not long. He concluded abruptly: "Long live the United States of America." Along the airstrip there were little pats of applause.

Red Carpets. A long, black car whisked the General off to the White House. He emerged with right hand outstretched, took a few long steps to where Harry Truman stood awaiting him. Said the President: "I'm very glad to see you." That night the red carpet of protocol was rolled out for a White House state dinner, after which Harry Truman and his guest talked together in the library until midnight. What they talked about was not disclosed.

After a night at the White House, the General began the long round of duties of a distinguished visitor. He went to Arlington National Cemetery, placed a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, received the 21-gun salute due a head of state (on his previous visit it had been 17 guns--for a general).

Everything seemed to be going fine. But that afternoon, President Truman dropped a bombshell. After his regular press conference, twelve French journalists remained to be presented. The President shook their hands. Asked if he had a word for them, he said he did. He told them he thought it was high time that the French press began to give America a square deal (see PRESS).

Touche. If the remark bothered le grand Charlie, he did not show it. Next morning it was his turn. He met U.S. newsmen at the sumptuous residence of Ambassador Henri Bonnet. He seemed completely at ease, smiled as a newsman brought up the President's remarks. Oh, yes, said Charlie, he could understand the U.S. President's being "struck" by some stories in France's newspapers. He, himself, had also been frequently "struck" by stories about him in the U.S. press.

For the rest of the 85-minute interview, the General was the very model of cordiality. He claimed nothing for France, had high praise for her Allies, especially the U.S.

Gifts & Decorations. There were more jobs of cordiality to do. The General returned to the White House, received from President Truman the medal of the Legion of Merit. In return he presented Harry Truman with two gifts: 1) a painting of Benjamin Franklin (by Joseph Duplessis), which Francophile Franklin had given to a Parisian friend in 1770; 2) a large bronze medal from the city of Metz, commemorating its Allied liberation last November. At another ceremony, General de Gaulle conferred France's Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor on Generals Marshall, Arnold and Somervell, Admirals Leahy and King. While he bussed them, they kept stiff upper lips.

The climax was a full-dress reception at the French Embassy. Official and social Washington lined up all the way through the paneled reception room, down the garden steps and out on the driveway. While the imported champagne flowed, Senator Alben Barkley presented the General with a bottle of bourbon.

After four days of cordiality and handshaking, and just before General de Gaulle took off for a brief visit to Hyde Park and New York, there came a joint formal statement from the White House. Its gist: the two leaders had found "a fundamental harmony between French and American aims," and had agreed on "even closer cooperation in the future."

Questions. This left most of the urgent Franco-American questions unanswered--at least publicly. What of German occupation, in which France wants a greater share? What of U.S. bases on French islands in the Pacific? What of French return to Indo-China? Presumably, most of the questions would not be answered until they had been dealt with at the forthcoming Council of Foreign Ministers. Meanwhile had the General made a good friend out of the President? Official Washington agreed that he had certainly tried.

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