The French

[fatherted]

I like the French - but---!
Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when
DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO.  DeGaulle said he wanted all US
military out of France as soon as possible.   Rusk responded
"Does that include those who are buried here?"
DeGaulle did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop

There was a conference in France where a number of international
engineers were taking part, including French and American.  During a
break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying
'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an
aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims.  What does
he intended to do, bomb them?'     A  Boeing engineer stood up and
replied  quietly:   'Our  carriers have three hospitals on board that
can  treat several  hundred people; they are nuclear  powered and can
supply emergency   electrical power to shore facilities; they  have
three   cafeterias with the capacity to  feed 3,000 people three meals
a  day,  they can produce several thousand  gallons of fresh water
from sea  water each day,  and they carry half a dozen helicopters for
use  in  transporting victims and injured to and from  their flight
deck.  We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?  '

  You could have heard a pin drop.

A  U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included
Admirals from the U.S.  , English, Canadian, Australian and French
Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a
large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those
countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their
drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas
Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then
asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these
conferences rather than speaking French?' Without hesitating, the
American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians,
Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak
German.'

You could have heard a pin drop.

AND THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...
Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in   Paris by
plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport
in his carry on.  "You have been to France before, monsieur?" the
customs officer asked   sarcastically.
Mr.  Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.   "Then
you should know enough to have your passport ready."  The American
said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."
"Impossible.  Americans always have to show your passports on arrival
in France!"  The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard
look.  Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha
Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find
a single Frenchman to show a passport to."

You could have heard a pin drop.