Stopping a War/Chapter 6
6. Propaganda in the Chamber of Deputies
The public struggle against the Riff War has been actively waged in the Chamber of Deputies. The extreme Left bloc and their supporters rose again and again to denounce the war, to explain the economic causes which lay behind it, and to demand an immediate peace with the Riff. On May 27, 28, and 29, Doriot, Cachin, and Berthon particularly distinguished themselves by the effectiveness with which they challenged the position of the Government.
An idea of the vigor with which the French Communist Deputies attacked the war makers may be gathered from the Journal Officiel. At the sitting of May 27, 1925, for instance, Doriot pointed out that Abd-el-Krim had been in Paris in 1923 buying arms. Berthon had met him in Paris at the time and at Doriot's suggestion he stated the fact to the Chamber. He was able to give the names of those with whom Abd-el-Krim had dealt, of the bank that financed the transaction, and to refer to the text of the contract under which the arms were secured. These facts, Doriot said, showed that in 1923 French firms were supplying Abd-el-Krim with arms; that the French Government was aware of the facts; that Abd-el-Krim was permitted to come to Paris on a passport officially vised, and that all this was done with the full knowledge that the arms would be used against Spain. As a matter of fact, these arms were now being used against France.
Abd-el-Krim, Doriot continued, had been trying for two years to come to an understanding with France. He had been accused of aggression against France. Quite the contrary; he had made every effort to establish peaceful relations with the French Government. To these overtures the French Government had refused to listen. If it was possible to talk with Abd-el-Krim on the subject of munitions in 1928, why was it not possible to talk on the subject of peace in 1924?
There was a very good reason indeed for the difference between the two cases. That reason was the intervention of French high finance. They wanted to sell arms in 1923. They wanted to get possession of the Riff minerals in 1924.