STOCKHOLM
In a letter to Jean-Paul Sartre, dated April 19, General de Gaulle assumed direct personal responsibility for barring the International War Crimes Tribunal from holding its hearings in Paris on the U.S. aggression in Vietnan.
De Gaulle intervened only a few days before the hearings were to open April 21.
His decree followed a long series of indirect measures aimed at intimidating the tribunal members and compelling them, if possible, to give up the attempt to hold the sessions in Paris.
It was perfectly clear from the beginning that the source of this pressure was the U.S.State Department and that de Gaulle was conceding to it. This was pointed out by World Outlook very sharply in its issue of last September 30.
De Gaulle's move made headlines
throughout the world since it appears to
conflict with his own public posture of
criticizing the American imperialist ven-
ture in Indochina. However, as the polit-
ical guide and spokesman of French imperi-
alism, a satellite power of the American
colossus, de Gaulle's "independence" con-
sists largely of maintaining leverage for
blackmail purposes.
In a lengthy public reply to the
general, Jean-Paul Sartre called special
attention to the concession to American
imperialism involved in de Gaulle's ges-
ture.
Sartre suggested that it was not
unconnected with Humphrey's trip to Eu-
rope. The American pressure on France is
becoming stronger and stronger, said
Sartre. "To mention only the tribunal, it
is quite likely that Vice-president Hun-
phrey, when he met de Gaulle two weeks ago,
insisted on the importance attached by the
Americans to preventing us from meeting
in France."
The heads of the tribunal sought to transfer the hearings to Stockholm. At first the Swedish government demurred, but finally reluctantly granted permis-— sion. To have refused would have been in violation of the constitution.
Thus the hearings of the International War Crimes Tribunal are now scheduled to open in Stockholm on April 29.
THE COUP