France to-day [May 20, Paris] plunged into a crisis of proportions unprecedented since 1936, with a strike movement involving five to six million workers, directly challenging the survival of the Gaullist regime. At least 250 major industrial plants were occupied by strikers, and the number of factories occupied was growing gradually hour-by-hour. The nation’s life was paralysed. French banks to-day suspended all their services including exchange dealings as employees joined the strike. President de Gaulle was silent. His only comment on the crisis so far, was a remark he made yesterday to a group of Ministers: “Reform yes, filthy mess no.” The number of strikers soared from two million yesterday to five to six million this morning, more than one third of France’s nearly 15 million wage-earners. Trains, buses, the Paris Metro (underground), airlines and mail were stopped dead. Fantastic traffic jams blocked every access route to Paris. In and around the capital, three out of four petrol stations ran out of petrol. Groceries were jammed by housewives, buying up everything. Strikers have occupied most electric power centres and threatened to cut off power if there were any “police repression” of the strike movement. Politically, the dimensions of the crisis were vast but, as yet ill|defined. President de Gaulle has scheduled a radio-television speech for Friday night. Latest word from his Elysee Palace office was that he would not address the nation until then. French Planning Minister Raymond Marcellin, said to-day in a statement: “Since (the Opposition) cannot get rid of General de Gaulle and his Government by democratic means, an attempt is being made to orient and manipulate the demonstrations.”
