1M
PARTISAN REVIEW
of
Le Monde
(Roger Levy) shows that "anti-colonialism equals isola–
tionism."
It has recently been announced that the French atomic pile, known
under the cute nickname of Zoe, has succeeded in putting together one
milligram of plutonium. French papers were very proud of the accom–
plishment. In fact the event is an apt symbol. Leaving aside the valor
of underpaid and underequipped French scientists, that one milligram
of purely French plutonium gives an accurate measure of the tenacity
with which France insists on playing the role of a great power, and at
the same time of the specific weight of such a power in the present
world. As for the waste of energy implied in the duplication on a tiny
scale of what American physicists had achieved seven years ago, one
must leave that to the experts to evaluate.
(I don't know why but all this reminds me of Prince Ranier the
Third of Monaco concluding his coronation address a few days ago with
the inspired words: "More than ever we must think only of Monaco.")
Of course one cannot cope with the Stalinist danger in the name
of national "security." In the name of security and nationalism one can
at most dig another Maginot Line or utter such foolishness as De Gaul–
Ie's: "France cannot permit the defense of her national sovereignty to
be made dependent on the orders of a foreign commander." A minimum
of rationality is required. And it is this minimum that the French people
cannot discover either in the actions of their government or in the
conduct of their political parties. Hence a defeatism which takes all
kinds of forms, from the workers' disaffection from parties and unions to
the younger generation's intellectual "nihilism."
In a series of articles recently published by
Le Monde
an alert
young journalist, Jean-Jaques Servan Schreiber, has attempted a re–
markably frank analysis of the problem of "Europe in the face of
Stalinism." The first of these articles deals precisely with defeatism, and
its observations are worth reporting. According to Servan Schreiber, in
spite of the obvious decline of the Stalinist parties in Europe and under
the very surface of ordinary anti-Stalinism, Stalinism remains as strong
as ever simply because most of its adversaries actually believe that no
alternative to it exists.
First of all, Servan Schreiber notices, the conviction is current that
Communism goes in the direction of the "historical process," hence all
we can do is to delay its victory, hoping that in the meantime events
and evolution will have tamed the system and made it supportable if
not really acceptable. Second comes the argument, repeated by more
and more people, that "American imperialism leads to fascism," insofar
