The Boston Globe - 23.08.2019

A4 TheWorld The Boston Globe FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, 2019

ByElaineGanley
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
PARIS — They didn’t know
about the bunker with a mas-
sive dooras thick as a bank
vault that served as a command
post for the chief of the Resis-
tance. They didn’t knowall the
secrets of an underground
world definedby codes,as-
sumed names and identities
that covered the tracks of sabo-
teurs and fighters.
The Nazis who heldParis
during World War II were
known for theirextensiveintel-
ligence operations, but as Allied
forces spread from the beaches
of Normandy, the occupiers
knew little of the shadowy in-
surrection buildingwithinthe

City of Light.

On Sunday, Paris will cele-

brate 75 yearssinceits libera-

tion,whenFrenchand Ameri-

can tanks rolled into the former

jewel of Europeancitiesthat

had epitomizedthe sweet life,

but whose citizens were humili-

ated, hungry, and mistrustful

after 50 monthsunderthe Nazi

boot. It was the Resistance

movement that helped soften

the city for the siege and the

Nazis’ eventualsurrender on

Aug. 25, 1944.

A parade will retrace the en-

try into southernParis, heading

to the building that served as

headquarters for Henri Tanguy

— alias Colonel Rol — chief of

the French Forces of the Interi-

or of the Paris region. A new

museumon the site dedicated

to the liberation will open,

throwing wide the heavy door

of Rol-Tanguy’s secret head-

quarters, 85 feet underground.

The dank complex of cement

roomswas builtin the 1930s to

serve as a shelter to ensure city

services in the event of bomb-

ings that ultimately didn’t oc-

cur. But on June 14, 1940,the

Nazis moved intotown, and

hoisted theirflag emblazoned

with a swastika abovethe Eiffel

Tower.

The Nazi hierarchy en-

sconcedthemselves in Paris’

luxury hotels,and hobnobbed

at theaters and fine restaurants.

Photos at the museumshow

artists and industrialists at soi-

rees hosted by the occupiers,

whoquickly redefinedlife in

the City of Light.

Most Parisians got on with

diminished lives, using age-

based ration tickets to eat,

wooden soles on shoesto re-

place scarce leather, and some-

times curtains for clothes.

Some, though, revolted, en-

tering the clandestine world of

the Resistance, the ‘‘army of the

shadows.’’

It is impossible to know how

many Parisians went under-

ground,said Sylvie Zaidman,

director of the Museum of the

Liberation of Paris.

‘‘It’s a hidden story,’’ she

said.‘‘If you’re Resistance,you

leave as few traces as possible.

So thereare pseudonyms...

thereare double livesthat are

completely separate.’’

She pointed to Jean Moulin,

the Resistanceherowho uni-

fied multiplenetworks,politi-

cal parties, and unions into a

councilthat met in occupied

Paris in May 1943. The former

state administrator witha love

of art opted for a cloak-and-

dagger role, posingas an art

gallerist in Nice while unifying

the southern Resistance.

Arrested duringa secret

meeting, he was tortured and

put on a train to Berlin but ap-

parentlydied en route,July 8,

1943.

The museum bears Moulin’s

name along with that of anoth-

er top figure,General Leclerc,

the nom de guerre of Philippe

de Hauteclocque, who marched

into Paris ahead of Allied troops

to liberate the city.

More invisible werethe ordi-

nary citizens who risked their

lives. A network started at Par-

is’s Musee de l’Homme shortly

after the beginning of the Occu-

pation was among the first, on-

ly to be decimated the following

year via a double-agent report-

ing to Germanintelligence.Sev-

en memberswereshot to death

following a trial.

On Aug. 19, 1944, police of-

ficers rebelled and took over po-

lice headquarters.

From his underground bun-

ker, Rol-Tanguy called for an in-

surrection. Barricades went up

around Paris. On the night of

Aug. 24, the first Alliedtroops

entered southern Paris. The

grand entrance of Leclerc’s 2nd

ArmoredDivisionfollowedby

Allied forces wouldcome the

following day.

The military governorof

Paris, General Dietrichvon

Choltitz, arrested at his head-

quarters at the MeuriceHotel,

signedthe surrender in the

presence of Rol-Tanguy.

The liberation of Paris was

bothjoyous and chaotic, with

competing forces even within

the Resistance.

Paris sufferedno major

damage, thoughbuildingsstill

bear the bullet holes of fighting.

According to the Liberation

museum,1,000FrenchForces

of the Interiorand 582 civilians

were killed,along with 156

troopsof Leclerc’s division.

Amongthe Germans,3,

werekilled and 12,800 were

taken prisoner.

ByDavidRising

and Seth Borenstein

ASSOCIATED PRESS

TASIILAQ, Greenland —

From a helicopter, Greenland’s

brilliant whiteice and dark

mountains make the desola-

tionseemto go on forever.

Andthe few peoplewholive

here — its whole population

wouldn’t fill a football stadium

— are poor, witha highrate of

substance abuse and suicide.

One scientist calledit the

‘‘end of the planet.’’

When PresidentTrump

floated the ideaof buying

Greenland,it was met with de-

rision, seenas an awkward

and inappropriate approach of

an erstwhile ally.

But it mightalsobe an

Aladdin’s Cave of oil, natural

gas, and rare earth minerals

waitingto be tappedas the ice

recedes.

The northern islandand

the rest of the Arctic aren’t just

hotter because of globalwarm-

ing. As meltingice opens ship-

ping lanes and revealsriches,

the region is seenas a new

geopolitical and economic as-

set, with the UnitedStates,

Russia, China,andothers

wanting in.

‘‘An independent Green-

land could, for example,offer

basingrightsto either Russia

or China or both,’’ saidFen

Hampson, headof the interna-

tionalsecurity program at the

Centre for InternationalGov-

ernance Innovation think tank

in Waterloo,Ontario,noting

the desire by somethereto se-

cede as a semiautonomouster-

ritory of Denmark.

‘‘I am not saying this would

happen,but it is a scenario

that wouldhave majorgeo-

strategic implications, espe-

cially if the Northwest Passage

becomesa transit route for

shipping, which is what is hap-

pening in the Russian Arctic.’’

In April, RussianPresident

Vladimir Putin put forward an

ambitious program to reaffirm

his country’s presencein the

Arctic, includingefforts to

buildports and other infra-

structureand expandits ice-

breaker fleet. Russia wantsto

stake its claim in the region

that is believed to holdup to

one-fourth of the Earth’s un-

discovered oil and gas.

Greenlandis thoughtto

have the largest deposits out-

side China of rare earth miner-

als usedto make batteriesand

cellphones.China also sees the

islandas a port for shipping

throughthe Arctic to the east-

ern United States.

It called last yearfor joint

developmentof a ‘‘Polar Silk

Road’’ as part of Beijing’s Belt

and RoadInitiative to build

railways, ports, and otherfa-

cilities in dozens of countries.

Trump ‘‘may not be as crazy

as he soundsdespite his ham-

fisted offer, which clearly up-

set the Danes,and rightlyso,’’

Hampson said.

ByJamey Keaten

ASSOCIATED PRESS

GENEVA — Nations around

the worldmovedThursday to

protect giraffes as an endan-

gered speciesfor the first time,

drawing praise from conserva-

tionists and scowls fromsome

sub-Saharan African nations.

Thursday’s voteby a key

committee at the World Wildlife

Conference knownas CITES

paves the way for the measure’s

likely approval by its plenary

next week.

The planwouldregulate

worldtrade in giraffe parts, in-

cludinghides,bonecarvings,

and meat, while stoppingshort

of a full ban.It passed 106-

with seven abstentions.

‘‘So many people are so fa-

miliar with giraffes that they

thinkthey’re abundant,’’ said

Susan Lieberman, vice presi-

dentof internationalpolicy for

the Wildlife Conservation Soci-

ety. ‘‘Andin Southern Africa,

they may be doingOK, but gi-

raffes are criticallyendan-

gered.’’

Lieberman said giraffes were

particularlyat risk in parts of

West, Central, and East Africa.

The Wildlife Conservation

Society saidit was concerned

about the multiple threats to gi-

raffes that have already resulted

in populationdecline, citing

habitat loss, droughts worsened

by climate change, and the ille-

gal killings and trade in giraffe

body parts.

A key African conservation-

ist said the plan could help re-

versedropsin giraffe popula-

tions, as it would help better

track numbers of giraffes.

‘‘The giraffe has experienced

over40 percentdeclinein the

last 30 years,” said Maina Philip

Muruthiof the African Wildlife

Foundation. ‘‘If that trendcon-

tinues,it meansthat we are

headed toward extinction.’’

Still, not all Africancoun-

tries supported the move.

‘‘We see no reason as to why

we should support this decision,

because Tanzania has a stable

and increasing population of gi-

raffes,’’ said Maurus Msuha, di-

rector of wildlife at the Tanzani-

an Ministry of Natural Resourc-

es and Tourism. ‘‘Over 50

percentof our giraffe population

is within the Serengeti ecosys-

tem,which is well protected.

Why should we then go for

this?’’

In a later vote, the confer-

encebacked maintaininga ban

on internationaltrade in ele-

phant ivory.

Invisible army set stage for Paris liberation from Nazis

City of Light

to celebrate the

75th anniversary

World

eyes

melting

Arctic

Shippinglanes,

richesofferlures

Giraffes closerto endangered species protection

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

A globalplanwouldregulate

tradein giraffe parts,while

stoppingshort of a fullban.

ByJanePerlez
NEWYORKTIMES
BEIDAIHE,China — Most
summers, the founder of Com-
munist China, Mao Zedong,
madebig and fateful decisions
at a funky stretch of beach a few
hundred miles east of the na-
tion’s sweltering capital. He
swamin weather fair or foul.
He sat cross-legged in the sand,
dressed onlyin blacktrunks,
his portly belly exposed for all
to see.
His successors have not been
such fearless swimmers, nor
such showoffs.
But they still like to come
each August to Beidaihe, a mix
of shabbycoastal resort with
high-end villas behindtall fenc-
es.
In keeping with the hierar-
chicalcharacter of Chineseso-
cialism,the top officialsnever
rub shoulders withthe public.
Three distinct categories of visi-
tors exist side by side, separated
by earpiece-wearing security
forces — and walls.
At the top of the tier is Presi-
dentXi Jinping and his col-
leagues,hidden in compounds
in a spot where the seawater is
saidto be cleaner than the
muddy coloredripples at the
public beach.
In the next level comeparty
cadreswho are assignedgov-
ernment villas,sanitariums,
andfenced-off patches of
beach.They can be seenin the
evening strolling in small
groupson the fir-linedprome-
nadealongthe shorein look-
alike short haircuts,and
pressed pants.
On the lowest rung come
membersof the public,who
stay at inexpensivehotels and
guesthouses, and during the
weekends have barely an inch
to move on the sand heaving
with families.
Whenbodyguardsand
black limousinesare spotted, it
means the leadership has ar-
rivedin town, and this month,

therehave beenplenty of sight-

ings of both.At any moment,

the main street can be suddenly

closedto traffic, withuni-

formedpolicein white gloves

standingevery few meters as

cars withdarkenedwindows

whiz by.

“The big guy and his wife

have been here for three days,”

a veteran lifeguard, Liu Wen-

shan,65, confidedearlier this

month, referring to Xi.

Ankle-deepin water, he was

relaying information that was

supposed to be top secret;

whether he reallyknew wasn’t

clear.

The reputedpresenceof Xi,

whothis holiday season may

face sometough decisions on

the future of Hong Kong, was

immaterial to the crowds, who

wouldnever catch a glimpse of

him anyway.

At the mainbeach,the

crowdis not quitethe most

fashionable set. Chinesemillen-

nials spurnthe place as fusty,

and less thanpristine. They

prefer the Maldives or Thailand

or even in some cases, the

Hamptons.

“How can one put this with

finesse?” said GeremieBarmé,

who writes aboutChinese cul-

ture, and whooften visited

Beidaihe in the post-Mao era.

“The Chinesecommunists don’t

reallydo ‘beachculture.’ They

modeltheir habitson the Soviet

leaders,and the Black Sea re-

sorts and sanitariumsof the So-

viet heyday. The result is rather

perfunctory, dismal and, in par-

ticular, in the age of post-pover-

ty socialism,incredibly kitschy.”

On the sand, the beach cul-

ture could not be more different

from, say, the French Riviera, or

Italy’s Portofino.

Here, the sun is the enemy.

Body armoris requisitefor

many.

Perchedon a steel-framed

watch tower dug into the sand,

a lifeguard peered at the holi-

day makers bobbing aroundin

the water, a walkie-talkie and

megaphone at hand.

She wore a mauve face mask

that covered her fromchinto

hairline, ear to ear. Her eyes hid

behindreflective sunglasses.

Her armswereswathed in elas-

ticizedglovesfromwrist to

shoulder. She resembled a bank

robberout for a day on the

sand.

Then there is the question of

the water quality in the Bohai

Sea, a large basinthat swirls in-

to Beidaihe.

“The water quality is bad,”

said professorWang Yamin,of

Shandong University Marine

College. Runoffs from chemical

fertilizerplantshave spoiled the

sea in the past 30 or so yearsas

China’s economy grew, he said.

For those whocamefrom

the hinterland, though,the wa-

ter seemed not so terrible.

After a five-hourhigh-speed

train ride,Wang Hong, 40, ar-

rived fromShanxi in central

China, inspired by nostalgic

memoriesof a visit 20 yearsago.

His son,Wang Rui, 4, had

never seenthe ocean. Rui pad-

dled in the shallows, and built

sandcastles. He meticulously

packed handfuls of sand into a

blue plastic bucket, tipping out

the contents intoperfect

shapes, smiling all the while.

AlthoughWang Hong’s

memories are fromtwo decades

ago, momentouseventsfrom

even further back in China’s

postwar history played out here

at the beach.

In the late 1950s at Beid-

aihe, Mao dictated the plan for

the Great Leap Forward that

was meant to industrialize Chi-

na overnightbut ruinedthe

country’s economy and led to

widespread famine.

In 1971, Lin Biao, Mao’s top

general, fled froma houseabove

the beach— now surroundedby

a highwall— and boarded a

plane at the local airport to flee

the country. Under circum-

stancesnever fully resolved, the

plane crashed in the Gobi Des-

ert in Mongolia, killinghim and

everyoneelse on board.

On the eve of his trip to the

United States in 2000, China’s

then-leader, Jiang Zemin,wel-

comed Mike Wallace, the CBS

“60 Minutes” correspondent, to

his compound at Beidaihe.

Eachdressedin a suit and tie;

they sparredaboutUS politics,

spies,and humanrights.It was

a candid conversation, unlikely

to be repeated with any West-

ern journalist under the current

leadership — even at the beach.

At Mao’s

beach,

leaders

gather

But officials and

publicdon’tmix

GIULIA MARCHI/NEW YORK TIMES

A beachgoercoveredupfromthesunin Beidaihe,China,onAug. 3. China’s topofficialsstill cometo Mao’s favoritebeach.

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