FRANCE: XXX Marks the Spot

Almost any alert bystander can detect an approaching switch in the Communist Party line, but it takes an expert to guess the exact number of rings in a rattlesnake's tail. The Parisian newspaper Le Figaro has an expert who, listening closely to the rattling of the French party, has accurately forecast such moves as Leader Maurice Thorez' summons to Moscow in 1950 and the recent purging of oldtime militants Marty and Tillon. Last week Le Figaro's expert, who signs himself "XXX," predicted that the next man marked for Communist oblivion is pudgy, acting Party Secretary General Jacques Duclos, who...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!