" Has it ever occurred to you," said Gen. de Gaulle, leader of the Free French Forces. at a luncheon he gave to Allied Press representatives, " that the progressive extension of the was on the surface of our planet might be synthetiscd by a film? Such a film, having as its background the map of the world, would show how the conflagration of violence is spreading little by little all around its central hearth which is, 'once again, Germany.
" First of all, one would see a sinister glow on the Rhine. symbolising the overture of the drama by the entry of Hitler's troops into the demilitarised zone on March 15, 1936. Then Austria would be consumed. Next, the rising flame would reach Czechoslovakia. Suddenly, the furnace would light up in Poland. to pass on to Denmark, Norway, Holland, Belgium and Luxemburg.
" In consuming onslaught, it would overwhelm France. After which, the East would become incandescent. The Nile Valley and the Chad basin, Abyssinia and Syria. Iraq and Persia would know the horrors of the scourge, while the Balkan peninsula would elso be devastated.
" Finally, we would see the blaze stretching in a colossal wall of tire over the whole of the Russian territories, from the White Sea to the Black Sea. Meanwhile, by tireships scattered over all the Atlantic, the conflagration would encircle Great Britain and lick the shores of the American continent, while another hearth would long burn in the eastern extremities of Asia.
" It seems to me that this film would represent rather well not only the devastating and world-wide nature of this war, but also the rhythm which the aggressor has been able to give it. A scourge spreading implacably over all the earth's surface, but in successive conflagrations. each of which is always carefully limited.--is not that the real aspect of this gigantic conflict?"