The extent and unexpectedness of the explosion are reflected in the front-page story of L'Express next day, under the headline 'El Glaoui Recalls Ben Youssef!' 'General Latour, Resident General in Morocco, arrived by plane in Paris last night. During his journey, the most astonishing coup de théâtre of recent years was taking place in Rabat,' wrote the paper's special correspondent. 'El Glaoui, the declared enemy of the former Sultan, publicly issued a statement at the Imperial Palace calling for the return of Sidi Mohammed Ben Youssef to the throne. Neither M. Edgar Faure nor M. Pinay nor General Latour had been told of El Glaoui's intentions ... It was after meeting the Council of the Throne that he got one of his sons, who had long favoured the nationalists, to read the declaration which rather ironically blended his "gratitude" for France with his desire, along with the mass of the Moroccan people, to put himself under the authority of Ben Youssef. . . the French Government is now faced with an unbelievable situation in Morocco.'6 The paper went on to say that this action by the exiled Sultan's chief opponent had made his return to power inevitable.

On his return from Madagascar the Sultan had set up his headquarters in St Germain-en-Laye. There El Glaoui, accompanied by Abdessadeq, came to pay him homage. He knelt before the Sultan and, almost in a whisper, begged his mercy on one who had lost the road and gone astray. According to The Times, 'The Sultan endeavoured several times to interrupt this declaration - exclaiming, "Do not speak of the past: the past is forgotten," - and to raise El Glaoui from his knees, where, however, he remained throughout the interview. In his reply, Ben Yussef (sic) declared, "The future is what counts. We are all sons of Morocco: you, too, are a son of Morocco and it is on your actions in the future that you will be judged."'

'By any standards', commented the paper, 'it seems to mark a final reconciliation between the two adversaries, and El Glaoui's gesture had a nobility and grandeur lacking in some of the professions of loyalty which reach St Germain daily from other erstwhile supporters of Ben Arafa.'7

Buchman's part in these events was not forgotten in Morocco. When the first government of independent Morocco was formed, Si Bekkai, the 1953 visitor to Caux, was its Prime Minister. While negotiating with the French at Aix-les-Bains, he had written to Buchman, 'In these negotiations I assure you I have not lost sight of the four standards of Moral Re-Armament. More than ever I am looking to you and all in MRA to help us in every way to solve the Franco-Moroccan crisis.'8 Once in office, he sent Buchman a message saying, 'We are determined to make Moral Re-Armament the philosophy and practice of our government.'9

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