FRANCE: The Last Weapon

As French Premiers go—and they do go rather frequently—Socialist Paul Ramadier had lasted a long time; in fact, nearly a year. He was good at compromising and temporizing, at the small makeshift remedies which postpone disaster, and he was undeniably a man of good will. In the crunch between Gaullists and Communists, it was not enough. Last week Paul Ramadier resigned.

Old Man's Dream. Communist strikes and violence were numbing the country. More openly than ever, the Reds admitted that their main objective was to block aid from the U.S. In this crisis, who could form a government? President Vincent Auriol...