To Paris, smiling hopefully, flew U.S. Troubleshooter Robert Murphy and his fellow "good officer," Britain's Harold Beeley. Cause of their optimism: Tunisia's President Habib Bourguiba, in a sudden access of moderation, had agreed to let France keep control of the great Bizerte naval base, and to accept neutral surveillance of five Tunisian air bases that he wants France to evacuate.
Striding into Tunis' ornate Constituent Assembly Hall to commemorate Tunisian Independence Day-the deadline for his threatened decision to lead Tunisia into neutralism or Nasserism unless the U.S. and Britain took his part against France-Bourguiba briskly reversed his field, declared, "We...
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