ABSTRACT
In Tunisia, Hanson Baldwin once wrote, in that “strangely beautiful,” “strangely melancholy” land, depressed and arid, roamed by nomadic Arabs, strewn with the vestigial remnants of the former glories, in that country where the “perfect symmetry of an ancient Roman temple. Paralleling the increased efficiency of the American supply establishment were similar reforms by the British, who expanded their administrative tail and discovered that their teeth were sharpened in the process. As American arms reconsti tuted and restored French power, Giraud liberalized his administration, renounced all ties with Vichy, released from detention political prisoners and refugees, and opened negotiations to merge the forces in North Africa with De Gaulle’s free French. Contact with native adults was negligible, and Arabs who were picked up on suspicion of the questionable activities were usually turned over to a nearby French unit for disposition.
