The Battle of Algiers Page #15

Colombia has proposed that only the first

two points be discussed for the day.

However, the Afro-Asian nations opposed,

underlining the importance they attribute

to the Algerian question ..."

72SEA-FRONT. OUTSIDE. DAY. JANUARY 10, 1957.

The European crowd applauds, their eyes aglow, their mouths wide open,

shouting and yelling, their teeth flashing in the sun. Clapping of

applause on the sea-front of Algiers. Children, are held up to see,

waving small flags. The paratroopers of the Tenth Division march past.

SPEAKER:

"Mr. Raymond Lefevre, Inspector General

of the Administration, has presided over

a meeting in which important decisions

have been taken with the aim of securing

public order and the protection of

persons and their property. In particular,

it has been decided to recall the 'Tenth'

Division of paratroopers to Algiers that,

until now, has been employed in the

antiguerrilla operations on the Cabiro

plateau. The Commander General of the

Tenth Division will assume responsibility

for the maintenance of order in Algiers,

and will have at his disposal in order to

achieve this goal, all civil and military

means provided for the defense of the

zone."

Massu and the authorities are standing on the balconies of the

Prefecture building.

The paras are marching, their sleeves rolled up, their faces sunburned.

Machine guns, bazookas, crew-cuts, the eyes of singing boys, silent

steps, one battalion after another.

The dragon "black berets" pass by ...

The "red berets" of the 2nd Regiment of colonial paratroopers ...

"Les casquettes" of the 3rd Regiment parade by; "les hommes-peints,"

Mathieu's paras.

Colonel Mathieu is at the head of the regiment. He is tall, slender,

over fifty. He has thinning gray hair, a lean face, blue eyes, and a

wide forehead. His face is lined with many wrinkles. Were it not for

the uniform, the weapons, his tanned skin, his manner of walking, and

his energetic voice when giving orders, he wouldn't seem a soldier, but

an intellectual.

The 3rd Regiment colonial paratroopers are now before the Commissioner.

Mathieu turns his head slightly and:

MATHIEU:

3rd Regiment! Attention à droite ...

Droite!

SPEAKER:

Family name:
Mathieu; Name: Philippe;

Born in Rennes May 3, 1906; Rank:

Lieutenant Colonel; Schooling:

Politechnique-degree in Engineering;

Campaigns:
Second World War, Anti-Nazi

Resistance Movement, Italian Campaign,

Indochinese War, Algerian War ...

73VILLA HEADQUARTERS. INSIDE. DAY.

In a villa in the military headquarters, a reception room is visible

through a large window on the first floor. There are about twenty

officers seated in rows of chairs as if for a lecture. Mathieu is in

front of them and he is speaking while standing next to a desk. At his

back there is a blackboard, and near it, a large map with pyramid

graphs, cells, arrows, crossmarks, and, above them, the title:

STRUCTURE NLF AUTONOMOUS ZONE OF ALGIERS.

Mathieu's voice has nothing of the military and traditional. His tone

is neither harsh nor cold, but rather kind and pleasing; from it

emanates a superior authority imposed by reason and not by position.

MATHIEU:

The result is that in the last two

months, they have reached an average of

4.2 assaults per day, including

aggression against individuals, and the

explosions. Of course, the conditions of

the problem are as usual: first, the

adversary; second, the method to destroy

him ... There are 80,000 Arabs in the

Casbah. Are they all against us? We know

they are not. In reality, it is only a

small minority that dominates with

terror and violence. This minority is

our adversary and we must isolate and

destroy it ...

While speaking, he goes to the window, and pulls down the shade. He

interrupts his speech, points to the rest of the window:

MATHIEU:

Draw it down there too ...

Two or three officers stand up to perform the task. At the back of the

room there is a movie projector.

Next to it there is a para who is preparing to operate it.

The other shades are drawn, and gradually the room is darkened.

Mathieu, meanwhile, has resumed speaking:

MATHIEU:

He is an adversary who shifts his

position above and below the surface with

highly commendable revolutionary methods

and original tactics. ... He is an

anonymous and unrecognizable enemy who

mingles with thousands of others who

resemble him. We find him everywhere: in

the alleys of the Casbah; in the streets

of the European city, and in working

places.

Mathieu interrupts himself again and makes a signal to the back of the

room which is completely darkened.

MATHIEU:

Go ahead, Martin.

Martin turns on the projector. On the white wall next to the map and

graph appear pictures of the Casbah. There are the blockades, the

barbed wire, the metal screens, the Algerians who exit and enter, the

policemen and soldiers who examine documents and frisk someone. From

time to time, close-ups of the pictures are shown, enlarged to the

minutest details, close-ups of faces, motionless images that last only

for a few seconds.

MATHIEU:

Here is some film taken by the police.

The cameras were hidden at the Casbah

exits. They thought these films might be

useful, and in fact they are useful in

demonstrating the usefulness of certain

methods. Or, at least, their inadequacy.

Hassiba is now seen and the soldiers who are wooing her, while she

laughs, jokes, flirts in a provocative manner, and passes the blockade.

MATHIEU:

I chose these films because they were

shot in the hours preceding some recent

terroristic assaults. And so, among all

these Arabs, men and women, there are the

ones responsible. But which ones are they?

How can we recognize them? Controlling

documents is ridiculous: one who has

everything in order is most likely to be

the terrorist.

An Algerian is being dragged away while protesting, kicking, and trying

to free himself. And then the scene changes. There is another Casbah

exit, and an Algerian who is being searched.

MATHIEU:

(smiling)

Note the intuition of the cameraman. He

realized that in that box, there had to

be something of interest, and he paused

to focus it.

The picture is enlarged. The small box which the Algerian is carrying

on his shoulder is seen in detail. It is opened. The box is swarming

with snakes; the soldier who had wanted to examine it jumps backward.

The officers in the room burst into laughter.

MATHIEU:

(laughing)

Maybe the bomb was hidden right there, in

a double bottom. Who knows? We'll never

know.

Using the barrel of his machine gun, a soldier has closed the box. A

snake has managed to jump out, and fallen to the ground. The people are

terrified and move away. Others laugh, among them, Petit Omar, who

seems to be an ordinary child enjoying himself.

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