خارجي ٤٦/٦١١٦(س) "ملخصات استخباراتية سياسية أسبوعية سرية، الأرقام ٣٥٦-٤١٦، أغسطس ١٩٤٦ - نوفمبر ١٩٤٧" [و‎‎١‎٠‎٦] (٩٧٨/٢١١)

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administration in mind, and favour the
socialisation of industry on a regional
basis not primarily dependent upon Berlin.
The second point, however, is directly
answered by the recommendation that
“ provision should be made for safe
guarding the interests of non-German
criers of coal-mining property.”
FRANCE
Before the Assembly adjourned M.
Ramadier promised that his Government
would be introducing drastic financial and
administrative reforms, including a larger
measure of State control designed to bring
prices down to a reasonable level. The
Cabinet met at once on the 9th September
and established an emergency Ministerial
Committee which is required to produce by
the end of this month a programme for
saving the franc and, generally, combating
inflation.
The Committee, under the chairmanship
of M. Ramadier himself, includes M.
Gouin, Minister of State in charge of the
plan, M. Robert Schuman, Minister of
Finance, M. Andre Philip, Minister of
National Economy, M. Jean Monnet and
M. Monick, Governor of the Bank of
France. Alongside this Committee, which
is primarily concerned with a revision of
the figures in the budget, the technical
experts attached to the Prime Minister’s
office are working out a food programme
for controlling prices and distribution.
The abolition of the basic ration of petrol
(4 gallons a month) and a prohibition on
the use of motor vehicles of more than
15 m.p.h. are the first of these “ austerity ”
measures.
Meetings of protest about the reduction
of the bread ration and high prices—fre
quently leading to riots and sporadic
strikes—are continuing throughout the
country. The most serious incident took
place at Le Mans, in the Department of the
Sarthe, where infuriated workers broke
into the Prefecture, and the police had to
use tear gas and hosepipes to disperse them.
In some, but not all, cases the Communists
are thought to be fomenting these distur
bances. On the 12th September, following
the rejection by the Prefecture of the Seine
Department of their proposals (which
included a suggestion of stopping all
export of food to Germany), the leaders
of the Paris branch of the C.G.T.
announced that they intended “ to re-start
social agitation.”
On the 10th September M.. Ramadier
held a press conference at which he and the
34246
Minister for Overseas Territories, M.
Moutet, commented and elaborated upon
the announcement of Government policy
vis-a-vis Indo-China made by M. Bollaert
at Hadong (see under ” Far East ”). M.
Ramadier emphasised that the speech had
been directed to Indo-Chinese opinion as
a whole and not to any one party. The
Government were relying on the various
parties in Indo-China reaching agreement
among themselves as a first step. A certain
number of diplomatic officials from the
French Union including Indo-China, he
intimated, were to be assigned to posts
abroad. M. Moutet laid stress on the
guarantees which would be required by the
French Government if negotiations were tc
proceed as a result of M. Bollaert’s speech.
The security of the French population must
be assured, as also the return of French
property, and the protection in future of
French institutions. It is now reported
that a deputation of Viet-Nam representa
tives in Hong Kong has condemned the
Government of Ho Chi Minh as being anti
democratic and totalitarian and has called
upon the ex-Emperor Bao Dai to take over
power and to open negotiations with the
French Government. M. Bollaert’s speech
has been the object of fierce attacks in the
French Communist press, but has otherwise
had a good reception.
General de Gaulle’s movement, the
Rassemblement du Peu'ple Frangais, won its
first election success when its list headed
the poll in a contest for the new Municipal
Council at Aj^ert, Algeria (see also under
“ Germany ”).
SWITZERLAND
It was announced in Zurich on the 9th
September that the Swiss National Bank
had suspended the sale of gold coins of
which Switzerland had become the main
source of supply, being the only country
which delivered gold to private indi
viduals. For this reason Swiss gold was
found to be disappearing at a rapidly
increasing rate—partly smuggled abroad
and used for international speculation.
The decision, however, was reported to
be based on a combination of recent
happenings: the non-convertibility of
sterling, the British ban on foreign travel
(outside sterling countries), Sweden’s
shortage of foreign exchange and the new
import restrictions in the Argentine. In
stopping the sale of gold coins the Swiss
National Bank falls into line with the
other central banks, but if will continue to
c