I noted that yesterday was the 70th anniversary of the Operation Torch landings in North Africa, and that I'd be talking more about some of the local North African aspects of the campaign.. The US commander in Morocco was none other than George S. Patton. Though his primary dealings were with the Vichy French generals who had been running the country, he also dealt with Sultan (later King) Muhammad V and his family. The photo at left shows him with the In the 1970 film Patton, there is an early scene in which George C. Scott as Patton is reviewing a parade of the Royal Guard (played, I believe, by the real Moroccan Royal Guard), and is asked by a figure presumed to be the Sultan, "Tell me, general. What do you think of Morocco?" Patton replies, " I love it, excellency. It's a combination of the Bible ... and Hollywood."
I have no idea if Patton said that to the Sultan, but he definitely thought it, and once referred to Casablanca as "a city which combines Hollywood and the Bible." (Blumenson, The Patton Papers, II, 120.)
Patton's attitudes toward the local Arab population were not particularly enlightened, and I may write about that later, but he seems to have enjoyed his interaction with royalty. He noted that when the Sultan gave him the Grand Cross of Morocco, it was an award "he had never seen a Frenchman wear"; when he had a display of weapons for the Sultan and invited him to ride in his armored car, he noted that "he insisted that I sit beside him ... the first time a Sultan has ever let any foreigner sit beside him." (Patton Papers II, 151). The Sultan had never let the French sit next to him? How would Patton know this? But clearly he felt flattered. He noted of the same occasion that the Prince (the future Hassan II) "told me that when he is Sultan, I am to be his Grand Vizier and we will go everywhere in a tank." (Patton Papers II, 151,)
Now that would have been worth seeing.
As I say, Patton's other views of Morocco were less amusing and will be the subject of a later post.
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4 comments:
That's indeed a young future King Hassan II, but the other person in the photo the Grand Vizir Mohammed El Mokri. As for the anecdote, it might well be true. The Royal protocol is elaborate, secretive and exact. I can certainly imagine the rule invented just to spare the Sultan the indignity of riding with the French, but there would have certainly been exact rules on who may or may not ride besides a King.
I am actually working on a thesis where I have referred to Patton as a remarkable figure in the history of Morocco-American relations; but I still cannot understand the meaning of his famous statement 'Casablanca is a city which combines Hollywood and the Bible". If anyone has a reference elaborating on that, I'd be glad to know the title. Thanks for sharing.
Hassane
I am actually working on a thesis where I have referred to Patton as a remarkable figure in the history of Morocco-American relations; but I still cannot understand the meaning of his famous statement 'Casablanca is a city which combines Hollywood and the Bible". If anyone has a reference elaborating on that, I'd be glad to know the title. Thanks for sharing.
Hassane
Hassane:
I think he meant it was romantic and exotic (Hoollywood) and preserved much of the traditional Middle East, which many Americans would have associated with the Bible. I don't know that he ever explained it beyond his one-liner, though.
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