France: The Army Disease

Frost still silvered the trees on Strasbourg's Avenue de la Paix last week as Charles de Gaulle stood up and peeled off his khaki greatcoat. Before 2,800 officers summoned from Algeria, Germany and France, he launched into a sonorous speech commemorating the 17th anniversary of Strasbourg's liberation by French tanks. "France," declared its President, "is again menaced, body and soul." Later, staring icily at a tight-lipped audience that included 80 generals and admirals, President de Gaulle turned abruptly to the force that menaces France more urgently than any outside invader: its divided,...

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