MOROCCO: The American Invasion

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The Stirring Peoples. The leaders of Istiglal, the independence movement, are on the whole moderate men who prefer pressure to violence. Yet the ferment of Moslem nationalism is reaching west toward Morocco. Last autumn there were election riots. Last week the Sultan, Sidi Mohammed Ben Youssef, who was once mistakenly thought to be a safe man for France, dispatched a letter to President Vincent Auriol demanding more local rule.

General Guillaume believes firmly that Morocco is not ready for independence, and he expects the U.S., with five important air bases at stake, to back him up. Whatever the merits and demerits of French colonialism, the U.S. finds itself doing just that. After some misgivings, Americans on the scene have now pretty well convinced themselves that to be distracted by colonial problems in the present emergency would be like a fire engine's crew noticing that the streets are dirty, and stopping to clean up the litter.