 It's time for the Lawn Jean Chronoscope, a television journal of the important issues of the hour brought to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, a presentation of the Lawn Jean Wittner Watch Company, maker of Lawn Jean, the world's most honored watch, and Wittner, distinguished companion to the world-honored Lawn Jean. Good evening. This is Frank Knight. May I introduce our co-editors for this edition of the Lawn Jean Chronoscope? Larry LeSœur and August Hex, your chief editorial writer for the New York Herald Tribune. Our distinguished guest for this evening is the Honorable Maurice Coug de Merville, French Ambassador to the United States. Well, this may be the first appearance of the new French Ambassador on American television. Coug de Merville is no stranger to this country. He's made friends and influenced people from Washington to the Council Chambers of the North Atlantic Featy Organization. Mr. Ambassador, we're happy to roll out the Red Carpenter friendship to you, but I must confess that the people of this country are a bit critical of France for some reasons. I wonder if you have any answers to those criticisms. Well, I suppose you are referring mainly to the political instability of France, which the friends of France abroad are worried about, and which, of course, the Frenchmen are even more worried about. I think that this political instability is due to two main reasons. One is the constitution of France, which is drawn in such a way that the executive is too weak, and maybe the legislative is too powerful. Another reason, I think, is that the proportional representation, which is our electoral system, gives always a sort of splitting of the political parties, the consequence of which is that the political parties are too numerous. This is, of course, a weakness, but I must underline that behind this political instability there is all the same in my country, a very permanent stability, which is manifested mainly by the stability of the administration, the civil service, as you call it, I think, which doesn't change with the government, which is permanent. It is true that the predecessor, Monsieur Bonnet, was here for 10 years, wasn't he? Yes. In this country. Well, I think this is a very good example of what I was calling the stability of the administration in France. Does that mean that Mr. Ambassador, that you expect to be here for 10 years, too? Well, I couldn't predict what will be going on with me. My answer would be that I would, of course, be very pleased if this happened. Well, Mr. Ambassador, turning from the political to the economic field, there are certain worries that Americans always have about the French economic situation. What would you say of that? Well, I would say on that that you don't need worry now. The economic situation of France, as well, I think, as the economic situation of all the countries of the free world, is steadily improving. In France, now the period of reconstruction is completely over. And the production is, again, developing very much. For instance, I could say that the industrial production of France is now a little more, I think, than 50 percent over the industrial production of the pre-war period. And on the other hand, the inflation, which had been a menace in the seven or eight years after the war, is now completely checked. And I think I don't exaggerate in saying that the stability of the, in the monetary field is now completely re-established, which is, I think, a good sign of economic health. Mr. Ambassador, the important committees of the French Senate have given rather solid majorities to the Paris agreements on German rearmament. What conclusions should we draw from those passages and majorities? Well, I think it's a very good omen for the final ratification of the Paris agreements by the Council of the Republic, which is, as you know, the last step in the process of ratification of those Paris agreements by our parliament. I think that the majority in the Foreign Relations Committee in the Council of the Republic was a big one. And I hope that it's a sign that those agreements will now be ratified by the Council itself in the near future. The French Prime Minister, Monsieur Four, has said, I think that once these accords are ratified, that the next stage for France will be building the hydrogen bomb. Does that seem to you like a good idea? Well, I should say that's quite another proposition. But of course it's a very important problem. And I think that my country, as well as all the big powers with an army and a big military effort to maintain, my country has to be worried with that problem. Because more and more the atomic weapon is becoming a normal weapon in the modern army. And I don't believe that such an army could be maintained at a high level of efficiency in the future without having atomic weapons. Whether that will be done soon in France, I can't know. And then of course it's a tremendous job to be made. But what I can answer to your question is that it is certainly a problem and we will have to deal with it. Monsieur Ambassador, France of course is a world power, so I'd like to run around the world, if I may, figuratively of course. Now we've heard rumors of friction between the French and the American military in free Vietnam, South Vietnam. What is at the bottom of those rumors? Well, I don't think there is anything, there is anything real in those rumors. I've heard of them also, but I've heard also very often repeated that the cooperation between the two high ranking officials, which are in Indochina now, for the American side and for the French side, I mean General Collins and General Haley, that cooperation is very good. And I think it's really the basis of the situation now. There may be difficulties there between friendly and free countries. There are always discussions, points of view are not always the same, it's quite natural, but when there is a friendly spirit, those difficulties can always be solved. Do you think as a result of that cooperation that South Vietnam, free Vietnam will remain an independent country and not become communist? Well, it's of course difficult to predict the future. I think that what's important in South Vietnam now is two things. One, that the close cooperation which exists for the time being between the Americans and the French goes on. And the second is that the Vietnamese government should be steadily strengthened. If those two conditions are fulfilled, I think there is some hope that the South Vietnam can be defended against the communist menace. Mr. Ambassador, France's chief sphere of influence seems to me to be in North Africa. Now the previous Premier of France, Mandus France, did enact laws which gave more power to the Arab natives of North Africa. Do you think that the present government of Mr. Ford will continue along those lines? I don't think that on the basic principles of our policy in North Africa, the new government that has taken the place of the Mendes France government will do anything different. I think the principles will be the same, which is granting progressively more and more political autonomy to the states of North Africa. Maybe in some problems the matters could be different. Maybe for some specific question the practical solution would not be the same, but that doesn't matter really. I think in general that the policy won't be changed. Well, Mr. Ambassador, you say if the policies aren't changed, what actually is the philosophy of the new Premier of France, Mr. Edgar Ford? Are they widely different from Mendes France in any way? Well, I should say, to that I should say that it's more a problem of personality than a problem of policy. I think Mr. Edgar Ford is more the middle of the roads, the type of man. Mr. Mendes France was a very strong personality with very definite views on all the problems. Mr. Edgar Ford probably has, of course, very definite views on the problems, but his way of getting to the solutions may be a bit different from those of his predecessor. Will he seek, do you think, the constitutional reforms which you spoke of as being necessary? I'm quite sure he is, as many Frenchmen, anxious to change some parts of the constitution. You saw that in our parliament those last days a proposal was made by a former prime minister of France to change drastically some parts of the constitution and this has already had a great following. Mr. Mendes, of course, you've had much experience throughout the world. You've been in Russia, you've been in Egypt, you've been at the councils of the NATO powers. Do you feel that the world is moving towards war or is it possibly moving towards peace? That's a very difficult question to answer, of course, and I don't want to answer it with too much wishful thinking, but I should say in the main that my impression is rather optimistic. I think the prospects of peace are better now than they were, let's say, three or four years ago. For instance, when the Korean War began. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador. It's been a great pleasure to have you here tonight. The opinions expressed on the Launcine Chronoscope were those of the speakers. The editorial board for this edition of the Launcine Chronoscope was Larry Lecer and August Hector, our distinguished guest was the Honorable Maurice Coup de Merville, French Ambassador to the United States. Launcine is indeed helping to make important sports news. In this month of March, there are 22 major sports events on the Launcine calendar. For the official timing of these, some $100,000 worth of Launcine Olympic timers, the world's finest timing watches will be employed. Among these front page events are the United States Nationals and the United States Olympic Ski Trials at Franconia in New Hampshire. The American International Ski Meet at Stowe, Vermont. The Knights of Columbus track meets in New York and in Cleveland. The Chicago Daily News meets at Chicago. The Eastern International Swimming Championship at New Haven, Connecticut. The NCAA and the AU basketball championships in Kansas City and in Denver. 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