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For Liberty. Last September De Lattre went to Washington to plead for more U.S. aid to the French in Indo-China. "We are fighting," he said, "on a world battlefield for liberty . . . for peace." Few Americans took note of the wisdom behind those words. Many, on the other hand, noted the black band on the sleeve of the general's always impeccable uniform. It represented his only son, Bernard, killed in action in Indo-China just 15 weeks before. Close friends felt that General De Lattre never fully recovered from the shock of that loss, but to one he wrote soon afterward: "My pride is greater than my sorrow. You should send me compliments, not condolences."
Last week, the flags on all French public buildings hung at half-mast, and thousands paraded past the general's bier. But proudly, as befitted the man they honored, the French caretaker cabinet met in special session to confer on Jean de Lattre the title: Marshal of France.