{UMPH OF TREASON—by
jerre Cot—Ziff-Davis, New
rork—$4.50.

aRRE COTS book is good
“Invasion reading.” It is as
ely as this afternoon’s news-
er or the latest BBC broad-
5; even though published
ly weeks ago. And while it
% timely book, it will also
a timeless quality. For it
( painstakingly documented
& of history, covering what
gened in France in the eight
*s prior to the 1940 defeat
the viewpoint of a cabinet
ster in the first Blum goy-
wnent, and a leading partisan
ihe Popular Front. To un-
‘tand the spirit of the
ich underground, the kind of
ce that is arising now to
us drive out the Germans,
is a2 most invaluable work.
fy this although there are
2 vital ideas in the book
which I disagree, or at
> Of which f am doubtful.

lere were many questions in
| as to whether the Popular
it weakened France,
Pher the social gains of the
ch people interfered with
“suction, and so forth. Got
sae facts, based on personal
ments, taken with him inte
- Of course, the people who
f those charges four years
fwill never be convinced by
g@ial argument; but if that
i possible, Got’s argument
\t refutable.

4} proves by figures, as-
led with full logic and with
ission for detail, that the-
messes in Freneh produc-
m were not his fault as air
ster, or the fault of the
Wlar Front. They reflected
sabotage of French big busi-

against France’s own de-

«

AIL ORDERS FILLED

: One of the most informative and comprehensive books

$3.50

2 Obtainable_at

People’s Bookstore

420 West Pender Street

eviewed This Week

W hat lappened in

fense preparations. They repre-
sented the reactionary conspir-
acy of the Cagoulards, of Mar-

shal Petain and his own coterie,

deliberately calculated to hand
the nation over to the enemy.

My chief criticism of the book
lies in the fact that Pierre Got
often confuses his passionate
defense of the Popular Front
with a defense of individual per-
sonalities in it, such as Blum or
Daladier- Both the men get in-,
ordinate praise; whereas we re-
call primarily their weak and
miserable showing in critical
days. -

The

past rather than a pattern for
the future. It is true that the

Second question is
whether it would not be better,
in thinking of Hrance’s tomor-
row, to consider the Popular
Front a great page from the

s

France

upsurge of French democracy

from *34-7 revealed the funda-
mental alignments in French
politics and formed the high
point of the pre-war period, of
which Cot is justly proud.

But it is also true that many,
many weaknesses

in its foreign policy. In France
today and tomorrow, it will be
necessary to unite the broadest
possible circles on behalf of a
stronger, cleansed, advanced re-
public. Perhaps the Popular
Front should remain with his-
tory and a new conception of na-
tional unity replace it.

At any rate, here is 4 book
worth reading and haying, an
important contribution to the
understanding of France yester-

day, and France tomorrow.
—JOSEPH STAROBIN.

Liberal-Labor Coalition

WHAT KIND OF GOVERN-
_ MENT—Liberal-Labor Coali-
tion versus Tory Reaction——
5 cents. ‘

HIS is Tim Buck’s own ex-

planation of his, party’s pro-
posal for a Liberal-Labor coali-
tion government. Much has
been written to distort his pro-
posals, and much is being said
by sharp-tongued and ‘short-

“Sighted people to twist their

motives and meaning.

A great deal of what is being
said is the result of not know =
ing exactly what is being pro-
posed.

“Tali of “the betrayal of
socialism” and “selling out,”’
which descends at times to the

| Universal News

‘ 138 East Hastings Street

VANCOUVER, B.C.

level of accusations of “taking

Liberal money,’ is partly be=
cause Tim Buck’s ideas have

yet to get around and be talked

about as they are presented.

The idea of a Wiberal-Labor
coalition is put forward by Buck
for the express purpose of keep-
ing open the road of progress
which has been partly cleared
through this people’s war. The

road threatens to become block.

ed by reaction, and if this hap-

pens the hopes of the people, —

also stimulated by this war, will
be frustrated. Tim Buck puts
it thus: :

“Whether we are to have a
government with national po-
licies to ensure full employ-
ment, a higher standard of life,
better housing, continued
growth of the labor movement,
far-reaching social reforms and
international cooperation; or a
government with national pol-
icies based on. backward-look-
ing emphasis upon protective
tariffs, low wages and empire
exclusiveness such as R. B.
Bennett personified in the early
nineteen-thirties; that will be
the real issue of the elections,
the only issue that will be de-
cisive. Any importance that
may be acquired’ by other. issues
will derive solely from their re-
lationship to this basie ques-
tion. No other issue will be
important except as it is related
to it.” :

Working-class leadership at

“this time must base itself on

the real perspectives. Too many
goals have been missed in the
past because of the power of
illusions, or of petty-bourgeois
phrase-mongering, of which the
CCE leadership is guilty.

Tim Buck, as the foremost
Marxist in Canada, does. not
hesitate to deal with the prac-
tical perspectives, and hammers
out in this brief pamphlet a
tactic for victory and for prog-
ress:

it is a piece of writing which
the labor movement undoubted-
ly will grasp and read. Readers
of The People should circulate

them in the shops and unions,
where, after all, the big issues
will be decided in the right way
if the workers are made aware
of what is at stake. This pam-
phlet will sharpen that aware-
ness, as Tim Buck’s writings
always do. It should sell by the
tens of thousands.

existed in
that front populaire, especially

Books and People

by Kay Gregory

Now. that the searchlight has been focussed upon France as a
point of intense interest a few books are beginning to appear
which have their locale and theme based upon the invasion area.

One of these, Army of Shadows by Joseph Kessel, has just
been published by Knopf, and although only a small book, it seems
to have some value in giving an insight into the dari days of Ger-
man occupation and undersround resistance in France.

fhe author won the French Academy’s Grand Prix du Roman

and during 1939-40 served as war correspondent for Paris Soir, He ~

escaped from France when the German armies thundered in, but

This little book_159 pages—is the story, in documentary form,
of his experiences during the time he was with the French under_
sround movement, “the army of shadows,” the story of “human
beings Stripped of everything: except the
until the inevitable rendezyous with the firing’ squad.”

: Even while the Nazis were thinking that France was
lized for underground warfare,” French patriots wére
and the “Army of Resistance” was functioning.

“t0O0. Civi-
organizin=

“We are waging,” Kesel declares, “the most glorious war of
the French people. We are building tomorrows that will sing.”

é

THERE have been so published of late which have

tried to

‘| The editor has tried to present Germany fr isn :
‘ : y trom Bismark to
Hitler by selecting and translating the characteristic Passages from
German authors. Most of the authors selected appear to be com-

munists and it is this fact which has called forth the wrath of
critics and reviewers Senerally.

The book is divided into th peri
which the editor calls Iron Gross Recents

: Although there may be many shortcomings in this book, it
is worth watching for if only for the authentic material in it.

SPEAKING of racial characteristics, I have just read a little

pamphlet The Races of Mankind, issued by the Public Affairs
Committee and distributed by Progress Books which explodes
any theories of racial superiority. ~ :

Tt points out very simply that cultural and physical differ-
ences are not inferiorities or superiorities, but are the result of
quite natural historical and cultural events.

“Since _ the beginning of history an unusual collection of
fortunate circumstances have been present among one race, some.
times -among, another,” it states. “ p to now every great center
of civilization has had its day and.has given place to others.”

Iilustratine this, the authors Professor Ruth Benédict and
Dr. Gene Weltfish, point to some very interesting and, to some,
very new things. The great inventions of civilization—massive
building’ metallur. , chemistry, writing, medicine, mathematics
and transportation—came as a result of ‘combined Knowledge
gained by early wanderins- tribes. Pri ting and the use of mov-
able type is an old Chinese invention and our power engines de-

pend upon a knowledge of explosives that the Chinese worked out
with firecrackers. :

Despite these facts, that our present day nations are the result
of contributions from many races scattered across the globe, there
is still race prejudice, and the authors show very. vividly that this
is based simply upon fear, mainly economic.

“Today weak nations are afraid of the strong nations; the
poor are afraid of the rich; the rich are afraid they: will lose their
riches. People are afraid of one another’s political or economic
power, they are afraid of revenge for past injuries, they are afraid
of social rejection. Gonflict grows fat on fear. And the slogans
against “inferior races’ lead us to pick on them as scapegoats... .7”

The solution is freedom from fear, amply illustrated by the
Soviet Union’s policy in dealing with her many different races.
“Hach people was helped to develop its own cultural forms, its
Own written language, theater, music, dance and so on.”

The drawings in this pamphlet, by PM's cartoonist Rein-
hardt are alone worth the price, 15 cents, and the pamphlet itselt
presents some very useful material for combatting those angu-
ments about the “superior white race.”

compulsion to carry on -

owed

Tr
¥