Les Mis

The French were cold, hungry, shabby, miserable. Youngsters complained about the bleak future, housewives about bare cupboards, workers about the high cost of living, shopkeepers about inflation, farmers about the lack of goods, industrialists about a shortage of materials, and everybody about selfish bureaucrats, heavy taxes and the scarcity of good wine.

All that was caustic, suspicious and envious in the French character welled up. People hated the ubiquitous black marketeers, sneered at their nouveau riche manners. They railed against the Government. The gay, graceful days of Gallic joie de vivre seemed a thing of the past. A kind of national dissatisfaction gripped the French: thousands were talking of leaving for some happier land, and many actually applied for visas. In their physical misery and moral confusion Frenchmen no longer spoke of "la belle France"; now it was "pauvre France!"

More Guns. The dark mood was deepened by another politicians' "crisis." In the Constituent Assembly, leftists wrangled bitterly with President Charles de Gaulle. Le grand Charlie grandly insisted on a 125,000,000,000 franc ($1,050,400,000) military budget--55% more than the proposed expenditures for reconstruction. Few Frenchmen could believe that military needs were greater than civilian.

The Socialists, with a sharp eye for a popular cause, clamored for a 20% cut in the Army's funds. Three times during an ill-tempered debate President de Gaulle made his now familiar threat to resign. At last, tired and hoarse, the disputants compromised: the military budget was trimmed by 5%, and a further reduction would be considered next month.

Less Bread. Resentment against the Government boiled over when housewives had to queue up for bread again. After two months France was back on rations.

In Paris' rue de Passy a woman suddenly stepped out of line, heaved a stone through a bakeshop door. "I did not throw the stone at the baker," she shouted. "It was for the Government. . . ."

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