FRANCE IN WARTIME

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 1, 2 January 1929, Page 9

FRANCE IN WARTIME

MEMOIRS OF CLEMENCEAU BLUNDERS OF GENERALS LONDOS, Dec. 16. How M. Clemenceau —“Thc Tiger’’— who, before he became Premier of France in 1917, was a virile critic, of his predecessors in office, M. Viviani and M. Briand, burst into tears but dramatically saved his country is told in thc fifth volume of memoirs issued by AT. Poincare, France’s war-time President.

Among the disclosures made is the fact that the French General Staff, during thc early months of the war, systematically kept the President in ignorance of the real state of affairs. References to Britain and the British troop s are generous and enthusiastic, and interestingly fill the gaps between isolated facts already known. He declares that France lacked heavy artillery owing to the Chamber of Deputies’ delay in voting credits. He utterly lacked faith in the French plan of campaign, and regretted thc failure to go swiftly to thc aid of Belgium when Leigc was attacked, a fact which plunged the then Prime Minister (M. Viviani) and M. Poincare himself into despair.

Marsha.! Joffre’s secret despatch, admitting that thc armies, in spit© of their numerical superiority, failed to show the qualities which their early successes warranted, filled thc Ministers with consternation.

The then Leader of the Opposition, M. Clemenceau, lost all self-control, washed his hands of the whole business, and declared that General Castelnau was responsible for the defeats in Lor-

raine. M. Clemenceau then burst into tears and flung himself into M. Viviani’s arms. A stormy scene followed with M. Poincare, who told M. Clemenceau, “You’re off your head!” But after-history showed that M. Clemenceau was capable of saving everything, when all seemed lost.