December 9, 1958

JACQUES SOUSTELLE: Paris, 6 – According to the Reuters correspondent here, after its sweeping victory over the communists in the recent general election, the new Gaullist party, the Union for the New Democracy led by Information Minister Jacques Soustelle, is preparing to oust the Communists from the 1,200 municipalities they control in France, where there are a total 38,000 local councils. The Communists have a major influence in the areas they control. Communist Party members are given priority for housing, while teachers in local schools even inculcate children with communist ideology. Meanwhile, municipal buildings are being used for party meetings. Given that the next municipal elections are scheduled for March, the Gaullists intend to benefit from the new trend in their favor that cost the Communists 1.7 million votes in the recent election. The success of this anti-Communist offensive will largely depend on the Gaullists’ economic policy. CINEMA: During the past season of 1957-1958, 28 Greek films were shown in Athens cinemas, selling over 5.5 million tickets. Of these, 3.2 million were for indoor cinemas and 2.3 million in outdoor cinemas.