Confidence Of French Restored By de Gaulle

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28653, 1 August 1958, Page 10

Confidence Of French Restored By de Gaulle

With the return to power of General de Gaulle, “a very strong man who has the backing of a large proportion of the population and the respect of his opponents,” the confidence of the French people had been restored, and all hoped that de Gaulle would be successful in giving stability to France. This is the opinion of a 22-year-old Frenchman, Mr Jacques Bonnin, who, with his wife, left Paris three days ago, and arrived in Christchurch from Noumea yesterday afternoon to take up his appointment as a lecturer in French at the University of Canterbury. Describing himself as neutral and optimistic towards recent developments in his homeland, .Mr Bonnin said that “we. were very pessimistic a few months ago, but there has been a tremendous change since then.’’ During the last 50 years the French language and France as a country had lost much of their former prestige, a loss which could be traced in .large part to the devastation of war. There was now, however, a new and a hopeful generation, arid with de Gaulle there was a renaissance of confidence.

“The situation was very serious, and without de Gaulle it might have been the cause at a terrible conflict,’’ said Mr Bonnin. “Until now he has nQt done anything which will disparage him. We do not know much of what he is going to do, but the reformation of the constitution is coming slowly, and these reforms will have the undoubted support of the majority of people.’’ Mr Bonnin then moved on to the alternative to de Gaulle. ‘‘lf he fails —no, cross that out, because after all he won’t.”

Referring to Algeria, he said that it was difficult to say how many persons the F.L.N. organisation represented and how many Algerians wanted coexistence with France and how many wanted to be completely rid of it. Unlike Tunisia and Morocco, which had been given independence, Algeria had a very large European, mainly French, population, and all its resources had been discovered and worked by the French.

Since the war, because of Its political and economic instability.

France had become too dependent on, and lost much of its freedom’of discussion with, the United States. The' French were sensitive about the ridicule in which she was regarded by foreign countries because of her successive political upheavals. Mr Bonnin said he was confident that under de Gaulle France would achieve stability and return to her old place as a Great Power. Why New Zealand? f An advertisement in a French paper on the position available at the University of Canterbury and the persuasive powers of a Christchurch man, Mr Graham Young, who studied at the University of Poitiers with Mr Bonnin, were the two main influences which led the Bonnins to New Zealand. Mr Young, a former student at the University of Canterbury, returned to Christchurch recently from France. Through the New Zealand Legation in Paris he obtained some films on New Zealand, including “The Snows of Aorangi,” to screen at the university. Their showing almost coincided with the appearance of the advertisement, and after some persuasion the application for the positiop. was sent..

Mr Bonnin graduated from the University of Poitiers ' with the French equivalent of a master of arts in English. His thesis work for his degree was on childhood studies in the writings of Dickens