The Evening Star FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1937. FRANCE’S “HOODED MEN.”

Evening Star, Issue 22810, 19 November 1937, Page 8

The Evening Star FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1937. FRANCE’S “HOODED MEN.”

The cabled story of the arrest of France’s Cagoulards (“ hooded men ”) and of the sensational revelations which have followed reads like as fascinating a piece of international conspiracy and secret service fiction as one could wish to obtain from the many libraries now available to the public. The actual facts, however, are probably less startling than they %ppear from the sudden recital of the discovery that “ revolutionary militiamen were preparing a vast armed plot against the Republic.” Even the finding of large quantities of cheddite and arms, not to mention •secret rooms and sliding walls, is hardly sufficient to warrant nation-wide alarm in France. Organisations of the fiery Fascist type have taken shape there before, but always, despite political bickering and many changes of Government, the authorities who have democracy in their keeping have been able to cope with the outbreaks. If'it was difficult for General Franco and his colleagues to plan the Spanish rebellion, largely from Morocco, it must be still more difficult for a revolutionary body to plot the overthrow of the French Republic from within the capital city itself. In all •probability the Paris police have had the operations of the Cagoulards under their eye for some time and have deferred upsetting their “ apple cart ” until they had sufficient evidence to make an end, once and for all, of tne whole futile conspiracy. From the information so far received, however, the present machinations have been carried out to more practical lengths than many others in which the suggestion of “ hooded men ” supplies a note that is hardly more than bizarre. The confiscation of 100,000 cartridges and 500 machine guns (some of which are mentioned as being of German manufacture) points to a possibility that the leaders of the conspiracy are receiving encouragement from one or more of the dictator nations. Had not the nefarious activities been checked effectively, as they appear to have been, the situation might have become more involved than in former uprisings! Future investigations should shed further light on this particular aspect of the discoveries. So far the name of Colonel de la Rocque, of “Fiery Cross” notoriety, has not been associated with the Cagoulards. As a matter of fact, it has been known that there were other Fascist organisations in France in addition to the Croix de Feu, and this is most likely

one of them. In recent years, when the prospect of Fascism has been discussed in France, the name of de la Rocque has always dominated the conversation —and with some reason. At one time this leader was reported to have at his command an army of 300,000 men and an air branch with 80 fighting planes. A hint of how long dated’ plots against the Government of the Republic have been may be gleaned from the fact that the Croix de Feu was suspected of having armed itself partly with the help of a leakage of ammunition from the Versailles armoury in 1933. But de la Rocque failed, thus lending point to the belief that France, mainly because of its rural population, is too firmly wedded to the Republic to bo seduced by any Fascist adventurer. Gn the surface the Frenchman may effervesce, but underneath, and particularly in a crisis, he has tremendous poise. Also he has rather much love of freedom to fall easily into the grasp of a Fascist nostrum. Since France is still largely a nation of peasant proprietors and small capitalists, her social structure is relatively solid. The big economic crisis came too late for her; she has not been dispossessed of her middle class and has not been subjected to the violence of class warfare. Perhaps her best protection is that her people have humour and an abiding sense of realism. If her “hooded men” bear any resemblance in appearance, apart from political ambition, to America’s Ku Klux Klan, they will be laughed out of existence. “ Kleagles ” and Grand Goblins will make little headway in La Belle France.