SYRIAN DISCONTENT

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 62, Issue 4430, 26 May 1941, Page 3

SYRIAN DISCONTENT

WEYGAND’S ARMY. NOW .DEMORALISED. (By Edmund' Stevens.) (Published by arrangement with the Christian Science Monitor.) BEIRUT, Syria., 15th February. (Delayed.) The sorry remnants of General Maxime Weygand’s once proud Neai- Eastern Army roam idly about the streets and cafes. Since the collapse of France, conjecture has surrounded these forces which, •with the British, were to have played a major role in the Neai- East. But they are an army no more. < Demobilised under supervision of the “ Mixed Commission for Control of Syria,” composed of six Italian officers and one Germjan, almost all the reservists went home. To-day, scarcely 20,000 remain of the force Which though its size Was greatly exaggerated, in its prime numbered upward of 150,000 Well-trained and well-well-equipped fighting men. Had they Wished, they might have played an important, even a decisive, role in the Mediterranean and Balkan campaign, aiding Greece and backing up Turkey. Instead, when the motherland collapsed, they, too, after much vaccilating, elected to strike their colours and lay down their unused arms. Therein lies the tragedy and futility of the French in Syria. SOME JOIN FREE FRENCH. A majority of the rank and file, and many of the higher officers, including a section of the High Commission, favoured resistance. Many others crossed over to Palestine', and now serve with the Free French. General Henri Dentz, whom Vichy appointed High Commissioner of Syria in December to strengthen its authority in the mandate countries, was commander of the Paris area during the tragic days of last June. After the Government’s departure it was he who decided to surrender the city without resistance. He is a capable administrator, but with limited vision. In a conversation with me he complained of the difficulties caused by the economic blockade and Arab uneasiness. “ Do you know,” the General told me heatedly, “ at a little Arab town I visited yesterday the local chief made an eloquent speech on Arab national aspirations ? ” “ My good man,” I replied, “ how can you bring up such a subject when the people of whole continents are starved and bombed, while here, judging from the excellent lunch I have just eaten, you live in peace ? Be thankful for that, and save, your fine speeches.” General Dentz’s job as he sees it is to keep order, sit tight until the war ends, and what follows is of no concern to him. He and his underlings are like hollow men filling their emptiness with office routine. They try to avoid broader issues or thoughts of the future by constantly telling themselves that everything is calm and peaceful. But there is no peace of mind for them. Torn and contradictory are the feelings of those French who are not directly responsible for the capitulation, but cannot independently make up their minds to join the Free French of General Charles de Gaulle or shake off the insinuations of anti-British propaganda. They detest the Germans and despise the Italians, but their admiration for Britain is not unmixed with envy and inarticulate resentment that British moral fibre proved tougher than theirs, and that the British still have something to live for while their whole world has turned to ashes. ARABS RECALL GRIEVANCES. This French demoralisation profoundly annoys the natives. For the mandated area of Syria, despite its progress under French administra--1 tion, never developed loyalty to France among its native population. As long as the Government did not interfere with their habits and religion, and their taxes were not excessive, they were content; but now that the French seem to be losing their grip they recall their old grievances and want to be rid of them. They deeply resent having to suffer for a war that was not their concern. The 1 tourist industry, upon which thousands, especially in Lebanon, depended, is completely destroyed. All foreign trade is throttled by the blockade. Bumper crops of citrus fruit and bananas rot.. Because the Levantines' are shrewd merchants and accumulated large stocks before the war, there is no shortage yet of imported staples, but if the blockade continues, sugar, imported cereals, and canned goods, including condensed milk, here largely used for children, will run short. The economic distress caused by this stagnation is most acute among

the countless artisans, marine workers, and building trades workers. Everything is blamed on the Government, and there is a strong though unorganised desire to terminate French rule. A majority of the population would welcome the British with open arms if only because their ( advent would end the present political and economic bankruptcy. ITALIANS DEEPLY CON- ■ CERNED. Most worried by the possibility of the British taking over are the Italian members of the armistic delegation. Having previously ordered and superintended the dismantling of the coastal batteries, they how demand that the guns be replaced in service. Likewise at their request French colonial troops are building tank traps and stringing barbed-wire entanglements along the road to' Palestine. The Italian delegates have other troubles. Events in Greece and Africa have made the Italians a. laughing stock among both the French and the natives. Some' members of the Italian delegation in Beirut have stopped wearing their uniforms because French officers constantly refused to salute them and because of unflattering remarks which pursued them Wherever they appeared in public. AXIS PRESTIGE DAMAGED. In Beirut hundreds of hand-writ-ten copies of an anti-Italian song are circulating parodied on the “ Marseillaise.” It begins: “ Allons, enfants de Italie, Le jour de fuite est arrive.” [Up, song of Italy, The day of flight has come.] The Italian debacle has seriously damaged German prestige in Syria and elsewhere in the Near East. The Germans, who were previously content to allow the Italians to represent the Axis in Syria, are now taking over leadership in an effort to repair the damage done. There was only one German on the armistice delegation. Recently, however, Wilhelm von Hentig, present chief of the Near Eastern division of the German Foreign.- Office, with a long record as German agent in the Near East in the World War, arrived. Herr von Hentig’s right-hand man is Karl Raswan, a self-styled “ German Lawrence,” sometime author and adventurer who has spent many years years among the Arabs and speaks Arabian fluently. The two Germans were sent to co-ordinate and develop Nazi propaganda and espionage activity throughout the Near East. ENTERTAINED LAVISHLY. . For-his headquarters Herr von Hentig took over a German-owned hotel,, the Metropole, in Beirut, commonly called the Deutscher Haus. Here he lavishly entertains his friends, contacts, and prospects among influential Arabs. Herr von Hentig and Herr Raswan also visit Aleppo and Damascus in their tireless efforts. Syria’s location between Turkey, Iran, Transjordan, and Palestine makes it an ideal centre for German activities in neighbouring States, particularly since the local French authorities allow him a completely free hand. This contrasts sharply with the attitude toward the British Consul in Beirut, who is kept under constant police surveillance while callers at his office are detained and questioned by the police in real Gestapo manner.