It is a long time since any paper has got
itself into a worse mess, or got out of it (so far as it is out) more unimpressively than Le Monde in the matter of the alleged declaration by Admiral Fechteler over the probable cause of a European war. The report, according to Le Monde, was made to the United States Security Council by Admiral Fechteler, and the paper stuck resolutely to its story in the face of denials by the Admiral himself and everyone else concerned. The story had been supplied by the writer of an unimportant news-letter, and Le Monde evidently had plenty of time to investigate its authenticity before publishing it. Eventually the basis for the canard began gradually to crumble. A very different origin was disclosed. Now Le Monde is reduced to admitting that the Fechteler story was actually a kind of write-up of an article by a Commander Talerico in the entirely unofficial Proceedings of the Naval Institute in 1950. Its editor makes matters a good deal worse by trying to defend his gaffe, and complaining that the rest of the French Press has criticised him too harshly. As for the contents of the report, the fact that it can be traced back to 1950 disposes of most of whatever interest they pos- sessed; a good deal has changed in Europe since 1950.
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