FRANCE THE PERSONAL TOUCH AS OTHER EUROPEANS RAILED AGAINST CHARLES DE GAULLE'S 
VISION OF A FRENCH-LED EUROPE, MANY FRENCHMEN LAST WEEK WERE UNEASILY 
CONTEMPLATING DE GAULLE'S INFLUENCE ON THEIR OWN SOCIETY . SINCE THE 
NOVEMBER ELECTION TURNED THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INTO A VIRTUAL ANNEXE OF 
THE ELYSEE PALACE, DE GAULLE HAS RULED WITH LITTLE PARLIAMENTARY CRITICISM 
AND WITH ONLY MUTED RUMBLINGS FROM FRANCE'S ONCE RAMBUNCTIOUS PRESS . 
IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT LE GRAND CHARLES HAS ESTABLISHED A 
PERSONAL REGIME IN WHICH, THOUGH IT IS NOT REMOTELY SO AUTOCRATIC 
A GOVERNMENT AS THAT OF FRANCISCO FRANCO, ALMOST ANY POTENTIAL CONTROVERSY 
IS SIMILARLY QUELLED BY THE GOVERNMENT LEST IT BE INTERPRETED ABROAD 
AS A DIRECT EXPRESSION OF NATIONAL POLICIES . WITH VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED 
POWERS UNDER FRANCE'S EMERGENCY LAWS, DE GAULLE'S GOVERNMENT IN RECENT MONTHS 
HAS : CANCELED THE SHOWING OF A TV DOCUMENTARY TO MARK 
THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF STALINGRAD . PREPARED BY 
THE STATE-OWNED TV NETWORK, THE FILM INCLUDED A TIRADE BY NIKITA 
KHRUSHCHEV THAT, IN THE GOVERNMENT'S WORDS, WAS " VIOLENTLY HOSTILE TO 
WEST GERMANY AND TO THE POLICY OF FRANCO-GERMAN RAPPROCHEMENT . " 
SAME WEEK, ANOTHER DOCUMENTARY MOVIE, DEATH IN MADRID, CONSISTING MOSTLY OF 
STOCK SHOTS TAKEN DURING THE 1936 SPANISH CIVIL WAR, WAS DENIED 
A LICENSE FOR EXHIBITION IN FRANCE OR ABROAD PRESUMABLY FOR FEAR 
OF OFFENDING FRANCO . ORDERED THE PARIS OPERA TO CANCEL A 
PERFORMANCE BY RUDOLF NUREYEV, A RUSSIAN BALLET DANCER WHO DEFECTED TO 
THE WEST IN 1961 . THOUGH NUREYEV HAS ALREADY DANCED IN 
PARIS, LONDON AND NEW YORK, THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT PLAINLY FELT THAT 
HIS APPEARANCE IN PARIS WOULD BE AN AFFRONT TO NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV 
. CONFISCATED NEARLY 75,000 COPIES OF A NOVEL, HIGH COURT, IN 
WHICH RIGHT-WING AUTHOR ALFRED FABRE-LUCE GIVES A FICTIONAL ACCOUNT OF A 
FUTURE TRIAL OF DE GAULLE AS IT MIGHT BE CONDUCTED IF 
HE WERE IMPEACHED BY THE SENATE . THE GOVERNMENT'S OBJECT THIS 
TIME WAS TO AVOID OFFENSE TO CHARLES DE GAULLE HIMSELF . 
SOME OF THE GOVERNMENT'S REPRESSIONS ARE EXPLICABLE AS INTERNATIONAL BACKSCRATCHING . 
DE GAULLE'S INCREASING AMIABILITY TOWARD SPAIN HAS BEEN REWARDED BY FRANCO'S 
JAILING OF SIX TOP ANTI-GAULLIST TERRORISTS WHO WERE HIDING OUT IN 
SPAIN . BANNING THE STALINGRAD SHOW MAY JUST POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN 
REPAID LAST WEEK WHEN GERMAN POLICE FAILED TO PREVENT MYSTERIOUS FRENCH 
AGENTS IN MUNICH FROM KIDNAPING A TOP S.A.O . LEADER, ANTOINE 
ARGOUD (SEE BELOW) . BUT IT SEEMED UNLIKELY THAT KHRUSHCHEV WOULD 
CARE GREATLY IF NUREYEV DANCED IN PARIS, OR THAT ADENAUER WOULD 
OBJECT TO BEING DAMNED BY NIKITA ON TV . ON THE 
OTHER HAND, WHEN A GOVERNMENT IS NOT SUBJECT TO CENSURE OR 
LEGAL REDRESS, WHO EXPECTS LOGIC ? 