North Africa Quotes



“Caucasian” was originally a geographical term that had nothing to do with race. No one knows exactly how it came to be accepted as a racial term or as a color no one knows. Today of course we know that race has no scientific meaning, and that all humans are descended from the same ancestors in Africa. Note that the original “Caucasians” included people of many skin colors and features—from Russians and people from the Baltic to North Africans and the many skin shades of India.


This Government Instruction to British North African Consular Personnel summarized the policies of the British government with regard to British citizens who run afoul of the law while in Morocco and other North African countries. Essentially, the British almost always insisted on a treaty with the foreign governments that gave jurisdiction to the British Counsul to try any Englishman who was accused of a crime. The national government could not put a British Subject on trial of punish him regardless of the crime. Where local people were the victim of the alleged crime, the national government could send an observer to the trial that the British consul held. To many, this was arrogant and insulting to the host governments. As high handed as it seems, there were and still are great problems with differing concepts of justice, different rights protected and different levels of corruption. In many countries “important” local officials can control or influence the decisions of courts, witnesses can be easily bribed lie, and even judges can readily be bought. Even today, the issue of criminal jurisdiction is one of the most important subjects of negotiations between nations. The United States has similar agreements with Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Germany, Japan and other nations where we have armed forces. Generally, the better and more sophisticated and honest the host government justice system is, the more willing modern nations are to allow them jurisdiction over criminal matters. But generally, in the world today, these treaties are the exception. Most criminal jurisdiction is with the national government where the alleged crime takes place.


The only soldier ever so honored. At the beginning of WWII, President Roosevelt and Churchill wanted the U. S. Army to invade German and Italian North Africa. Marshall, General Eisenhower, and all the other military men, advised that while it was possible, it would be a diversion from the strategic objective of invading Europe. None the less FDR ordered the invasion. The effect on the American people was wonderful, It showed that the Germans were not invincible, increased enlistment and morale at home, and developed more popular support for the war. Later, Marshall learned much about Democratic leadership and he, himself became a very effective government leader, and began to appreciate FDR’s approach but with a little cynicism about democracy.


He was referring to North African and other third world immigrants. France’s second largest ethnic group had become Muslims from North Africa. But they were only 10 percent of the population.