In a nutshell. Morocco is both old-old and still one of the most recent additions to the family of nations. A bit larger than California in size and with roughly ten million persons, until 1956 Morocco was a French protectorate. This protectorate had been imposed on the Moroccans in 1912 at which time the inter­national powers were gleefully splitting up what little remained of the world not already assimilated. The Spanish took over the northern 7,589 square miles of the country and the French the rest.

But in spite of the fact that the average Moroccan is poorly educated in matters economic and political they do know one thing. If they want to put up with misrule they want it to be Moors who are misruling them, not foreigners.

I had the interesting experience of living in Morocco at the time of their successful revolt against the French and Spanish. I watched the parades in the streets, watched the French and Spanish foreign legions try to quell the rioting Moors, who, using him as a symbol, were demanding return of their sultan who had been exiled by the French. I even met various of the gun-runners who were supplying the guerrillas in the interior with arms to battle the hapless French troops.

The French finally called it quits and today Morocco is tranquil again. And like all nations she is eyeing tourism with a gleam of avarice. This source of income, Morocco would love to tap. She is making a great push to attract American and other tourists to her sights, and indeed she should be successful.

Morocco is handy to the tourist and offers a great deal that is truly different. The majority of tourists, American as well as European, are not in the money bracket to take long trips to the Near or Far East but Morocco offers much the same as you find in those far countries Iraq, Iran, Jordan and Turkey. European countries aren't actually too very different from our own. European cities, largely, look a great deal like American ones and Europeans dress, eat and conduct themselves much the same as we Americans do. But Morocco is truly different.

I would be very much surprised if Morocco's attempts to get the tourist trade in large numbers failed. I expect the country to have a tourist boom and not only that but to attract large numbers of foreign residents. She has scenic beauty, picturesque and attrac­tive cities, excellent sports facilities, wonderful business opportu­nities, excellent climate, and is as cheap as Spain.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS. As I write, changes are being made in Morocco in regard to visa requirements for foreigners. However, as I've said above the government is keen to attract the tourist and it is unlikely that anything will be done to make it more difficult to enter and reside in Morocco. At this writing no visa is necessary for an American. There is no time limit on the period you can stay. At the time I lived in Morocco it was necessary to get permission from the police authorities to reside permanently or semi-per-manently in Morocco in general, though not in Tangier. I had my home in Tangier for about seven months and ran into no red tape whatsoever. It is possible that the new changes will alter this situation, I rather doubt it though.

§

TRANSPORTATION. The usual way to reach Morocco is through Europe although it is possible to take a freighter to Casa­blanca, Rabat or Tangier. The easiest way to come directly from the United States to Morocco would be to take a ship which stopped at Gibraltar and then take the ferry across to Tangier or Ceuta.

Ships which call at Gibraltar from New York include those of the American Export Lines, Home Lines, Italia Line, Lauro Lines. Rates from New York start at $175 tourist class, $250 Cabin class, and $310 First class.

You can also take a ship from England on various lines at a cost of about $28 one way, tourist.

From Gibraltar the ferry to Tangier costs one pound ($2.80). Transporting your car across will run anywhere from $12 to $25 according to weight.

Once in Tangier wou'll find that Moroccan roads are as good as European ones on an average. Gasoline is cheaper than in Eu­rope. Garages are adequate.

You can also reach Morocco by air from Gibraltar. Fare is $5.32 to Tangier. Gibraltar connects with London for about $80 by B.E.A.

Air Morocco will fly you directly from Bordeaux, Lyon, or Geneva to Casablanca. And Air France from Paris to Casablanca or Rabat. Air World Limited flies directly from London to Tan­gier; Iberia from Madrid to Tangier; and TAP (Portugese) from Lisbon to Tangier or Casablanca.

By railroad you can take the Spanish trains right down to Algeciras and then ferry across the narrow straits. Railroads aren't particularly recommended in Morocco. They are unpunctual and for from comfortable. They run four classes instead of the two classes you find in Europe and fourth class is something to witness. The Berbers, Rifs and Arabs pack in with their luggage, children and even animals. Nothing below second class is recommended for Americans unless it's adventure you're looking for.

Bus service is quite good and boasts second and first class seats. Take first class if you want to be sure of getting a seat.

THE MOORS. Actually you will not get to know many native Moroccans, even though you permanently retire in Morocco. You are more apt to associate with other foreigners principally French and Spanish although there are quite a few Americans and British, especially in Tangier. Few Moroccans speak English and few in­deed are educated at all. In spite of its position on the Atlantic coast, Morocco is an Eastern Land and in many respects is more backward than Turkey and the other Near Eastern Moslem countries.

Those Moslems that you do meet, the few who speak English, you will probably like; they make good friends. These, by the way, will all be men. You won't meet Moslem women. For all practical purposes, the Moorish women are still in the days of the harem. Although there is some movement, sparked by one of the royal princesses, to modernize woman's position, the greater number go veiled in the streets.

There is, of course, no reason to fear the Moroccan. He is probably less criminally inclined that the average American. As I think back, I cannot recall ever having met a Moor that I disliked.

MONEY. Until just recently, the French franc and the Spanish peseta were the currencies most widely used in Morocco. Now, how­ever, these have been withdrawn and the Moroccan franc has taken over. At this time it is too early in the game to be able to say what will happen to this currency. Right now it is pegged at ten to one on the Spanish peseta; that is, you get ten Moroccan francs for one Spanish peseta which is worth about 24.1 have a suspicion that it is due for a fall since the Moroccans, now largely cut off from the French economy, have an Atlas-load of economic problems on their shoulders. If it does fall, it will mean that Morocco becomes still cheaper than it is today.

When you speak of money in Morocco then you must consider Tangier, once, and possibly still, the greatest international money clearing center of the world.

The capitalist system is a complicated one and nowhere does it become more complicated than in the field of international finance. There is not a nation in the world, including our own, that hasn't passed some truly gobbledygook laws in an attempt to strengthen its own currency to the detriment of the others of the world.

To bring a balance to things at all, it became necessary to establish clearing houses where the world's currencies found their true level, no matter what laws might be passed at home. Tangier became one of these clearing houses, Switzerland another. And in these two places you may buy, or sell, any currency, or gold, at its true value. For instance, not long ago the Soviet Union announced that its ruble was worth four to the dollar, or about 254 apiece. However, in Tangier you could buy all you wished forty to the dollar, or 21/2 apiece.

Not even in the United States can you legally buy gold coins or bullion,, but you can in Tangier at any bank. If you mistrust your country's currency, you can sink your savings into gold, keeping them safe from inflation. There are something like fifty banks in this small city, and uncounted hordes of private money changers.

WORK PERMISSION. All you need to work in Morocco is a job.

Most countries put obstacles in the paths of foreigners working within their boundries figuring that one of their own people are being displaced. In Morocco, however, you will not displace a Moor if you work. In the first place very few Moors have the train­ing and background to handle anything except the simplest posi­tions and the pay for these is so low that you would starve on it.

In Tangier, in particular, there are for all practical purposes no restrictions on opening a business. There are no income taxes, no property taxes, no corporation taxes, few import or export taxes and those that do exist look as though they will be discontinued and Tangier again declared a free port.

By law you need not even give your right name in starting up a corporation. In fact, you need not give any name at all; you can start a corporation for $200 and use a number if you wish to keep your name a secret.

PRICES. When I first arrived in Tangier I found myself finan­cially embarassed. I had several deals cooking in several places, in­cluding Spain, but for the moment I was very short of cash. As a result I fell into a situation that was one of the most interesting I have ever experienced: I lived in the Casbah of Tangier for a period of two or three months.

Tangier is divided into two principal sections, the medina, or native quarter, and the modern city. The higher reaches of the medina are the casbah. The modern city is ultra-modern—the medina and particularly the casbah are strictly out of the Arabian Nights. Streets so narrow you can touch the buildings on either side, cobblestones, tiny shops no bigger than a phone booth, so small that the owner must sit outside. Tiny restaurants, sitting pos­sibly six customers at a time, the proprietor, who doubles as chef, squatting out front cooking shish kebab over a charcoal stove. The street of the jewelers, where gold and jewels are being formed into rings, pendants, bracelets, by goldsmiths using the tools and meth­ods of Arabia of a thousand years ago. Both men and women in Moroccan costume, including veils on the women.

I found a small pension in what had formerly been a wealthy Moslem's home, but was now somewhat run down. It was right around the corner from the American Legation and consequently handy for my picking up my mail. The pension was run by an Italian named Luigi, a concert violinist who had fallen upon bad times, married an illiterate Spanish girl, and had finally wound up here in the Casbah of Tangier. I had a room and my three meals for 40 pesetas a day, or at present exchange rates, a bit under .80. The food by the way was excellent and a whopping big glass of wine came with lunch and dinner. There were cheaper pensions in the Casbah, some of them at 30 or 35 pesetas a day, but at Luigi's I had a room up on the roof from which I could look out over all Tangier and the straits with Spain and Gibraltar in plain view. Nearby was the Grand Mosque and every morning I was awakened by the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer.

So it is possible to live in Tangier for less than a dollar a day— but I don't believe the average American would wish to do it unless for a brief period in the name of adventure.

Living in the modern, or European, section is more expensive, but still cheap by European and certainly American standards. A small furnished apartment for one or two persons is expensive and you'll pay at least $40 for one. There are very few. An unfurnished apartment comes considerably cheaper, possibly $26 a month. A good many foreigners, in town for a limited time, will rent an unfurnished apartment and also rent furniture.

Surprisingly enough, the larger apartments, flats and houses can be cheaper than the small ones. There is usually a shortage of the little efficiency apartments but since so many of the French have left the country, there are plenty of larger places. I would estimate that if you looked around a bit you could find a very nice apart­ment, or a small house up on the Monte right out of town, for about $30 and up.

Food is cheap if you buy it in the Socco, the native market. As cheap as any place, except for meat. However, Tangier also sports some of the most ultra-modern grocery stores out of the U.S. and if you wish American canned or frozen products you can have them. In fact, you can order by phone and they'll deliver. And you'll be staggered by the prices.

You can buy fresh swordfish of absolutely top quality in the native fish market for about 15# a pound. But a can of American salmon will run you a dollar or so in a grocery store in the Euro­pean section. American Cheese-Tid-Bits used to be my favorite as a small boy and when I saw them on display in Tangier it had been years since I had had any so I picked up a box. However, at .25 a small box even a boyhood favorite can be dispensed with. I used to pay a nickle.

Spanish and North African wines, cognacs and liquors are cheap, not much more than they are in Spain. A quart of red or white wine will run about .15 a quart if you bring your own bottle to the bodega, cognac about 36#. Even American and Scotch whiskys are cheaper than at home due to the lesser taxes.

Restaurant food is some of the best in the world at the price. Tangier has been an international city for decades and practically every type of food in the world is represented from Indian (Hindu) to Chinese, from French to Syrian, from African to American. You can get a dish of couscous or a hamburger; escargots (snails) or Eggs Foo Young. And at prices to be found nowhere else. There are at least six fine restaurants in Tangier where you may dine well, with a bottle of wine, for a dollar. For five dollars you can eat a gourment meal at the Ermitage, probably the best restaurant in Northern Africa. I know of no city on earth where you can eat better, for so little, than Tangier. I would say that in all there must be at least twenty outstanding restaurants in this little city.

Moorish servants are cheap. Actually, you can have a girl free, for her keep and an occasional dress and some of your cast off shoes. But you'll hardly get top quality, even though they will expect to work twelve or fourteen hours a day, seven days a week. You see, slavery still exists in Morocco, whatever the authorities say to the contrary. But to the extent that the maid is efficient and honest, you'll pay more. A good maid should cost you about $10 a month plus her food, which will not cost a great deal. You can have a girl come in mornings only and give her breakfast, for about $8 a month and for persons living in a small apartment this is often preferable.

Clothing is cheap, due to the low taxes. Shoes, unless you like to wear native sandals, are a bit on the high side, but, if you wish, you can buy your favorite American brand, or British, for that matter. Tangier has everything for sale. Best thing to do is buy your own materials and then have a local tailor do them up for you. Labor is so cheap that the cost is almost meaningless.

PARTICULARLY RECOMMENDED LOCALITY. Although I spent six or seven months in Morocco at one time and have visited it for short periods on half a dozen occasions, the only area I really know is Tangier. I have traveled across the country north and south and east and west, but not to the point where I could advise on permanent location. Consequently I'll deal with Tangier alone.

The town's name was Tingis originally and was founded by the Phoenicians about 1600 B.C. Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman ruins are to be seen in the vicinity and there is a small local museum which houses some of the objects found in or near Tangier from ancient times. Since then the city has been held by Byzan­tines, Vandals, Visigoths and finally the Arabs. In more modern times it has been taken and held for varying periods by the Portuguese, English and Spanish and for a time an International Commission of eight countries. All of these races have made their imprints on the city.

Some of the world's most beautiful cities owe a considerable portion of their attractiveness to their geographical location, such as Rio de Janeiro, Naples, Sydney, San Francisco. And such is Tangier. Like most ancient cities she is perched atop a hill and her early fortifications surrounded what is now the medina. The Sul­tan's palace is at the very top of the hill, the casbah section, and from here you can look out over the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Straits of Hercules. Through these straits, one of the busiest waterways in the world, you can usually see a dozen ships or so at any one time. Far to the south are the imposing Atlas mountains where once, supposedly, Hercules held up the weight of the heavens.

Tangier has one feature which is quite wonderful. In most cities of the Near East and the Far East you will find extreme picturesque qualities but from time to time, if you reside in one, you have periods where you wish for the sight of broad boulevards, numerous cars, neon signs, big movie houses, huge department stores—and a malted milk and grilled cheese sandwich. You long for these things—but don't get them. In Tangier, you can realize every one. Tangier is one of the most modern cities across the waters. At least the European section is. You can be deep in the cool darkness of the streets of the Casbah, flavoring the atmosphere of the Arab world. Then, if you wish, you can walk in five minutes to what you would think a modern California or Florida town. Thunderbirds will honk at you, fashionably dressed women will parade by haul­ing their clipped poodles behind them. Neon lights will blink at you, and there is even an American library. If you wish, tune in your radio to the American radio stations which broadcast from Tangier to all Europe, the Voice of America and various other projects. There is an American school, if you have children, and an American club if] you like swimming and golfing with your fellow Americans.

If you like sport, keep in mind that Tangier has what is some­times called the third best beach in the world. There is a yacht club, a Polo ground, tennis courts, horse racing, air and motor rallies, hunting and fishing, hiking and skiing (in the nearby Atlas mountains). In short, this section of Morocco can supply just about any sport in which you might be interested. There is even a bull­ring and the biggest matadors of Spain fight here each year.

The foreign colony is an extensive one and you can find just about any type of person you wish in Tangier. There are many American families living permanently in town, working for the Voice of America, for the Legation, for branches of American business houses. These live a rather conservative life, centered largely around their own American club. They are inclined to buy a great deal of their daily needs through the American P-X, and keep largely from contact with other members of the European colony.

To the other extreme is the Bohemian set which hangs out largely in Dean's internationally famous bar, at the Safari and at the Parade. Dean's is run by an Egyptian educated in London and is known by every international celebrity in the world. But the Parade and the Safari are American owned and operated and the most popular hangouts for American writers, artists, movie people and such—not to speak of plain out and out bums of the alimony-from-home variety.

It between these two groups are a good many Americans, British and other English speaking elements. You'd be able to find your own level, in Tangier. Barbara Hutton has one of her larger, and one of her best-liked homes right in the Casbah, so you'll see that all types of Americans are to be found here, not just those who retire on a shoestring.

CASE HISTORY No. 1. In view of the title of this book, I have largely refrained from describing case histories of folk who have a considerable income on which to retire, however, for the benefit of any readers who are fairly well to do but fear to retire because they are afraid their standards would lower, here is an example.

Richard and Patricia Winton have an income of approximately $10,000 a year. Mr. Winton was formerly in the building business in Beverly Hills, California. Mrs. Winton says, "We had servants and all that, but we were the two unhappiest guys in the world. The noise, the pace, the confusion! We came to Tangier for one week and decided this was it. We went back and sold everything and came here where people have time to look at the sunset or listen to the sea. . . . We're celebrating our 25th anniversay this year. Who could possibly want to be in Beverley Hills?"

The Wintons now have a Moorish palace which is on top of a mountainside overlooking the Straits of Hercules. They have four­teen rooms and seven baths, three servants, central heating and a champagne-filled refrigerator by the master bedroom bed, 18th century Florentine furniture, Moorish arches and even an intact harem room—left over from the old tenants. They take two trips a year up to Europe for a change.

They estimate that to live on this scale in America would cost $100,000 a year!

They are doing it for $10,000 a year.

CASE HISTORY No. 2. But few of the readers of this book have $10,000 a year with which to retire. Let's become more down to earth. I mention above that it is usually cheaper in Tangier to rent an unfurnished apartment or house and then rent the furniture than it is to rent a furnished place direct. This may sound a bit confusing, but this is how it works out.

There are many places in the world where the institution of the furnished apartment, so prevalent in the States, has not spread. Tangier is one of these. There are very few furnished apartments and those are quite expensive.

Seeing this situation, a former U.S. Navy gob, Danny Lawton, decided that there was room for a business in renting furniture and began to go about acquiring some. He went down to the used furniture exhibits in the native market and began picking up pieces, here, there and the other place, and storing them in the house occupied by he and his beautiful wife. He didn't have much capital to begin with, very little as a matter of fact, but, then, he didn't need much. Used furniture, he found, could be purchased ultra-cheap in Tangier if you shopped carefully.

After he had acquired enough for a small apartment or two he put an ad in the Tangier Gazette, the local weekly English speak­ing organ. He had enough furniture for two apartments (small ones) but got applications for his rental furniture by the dozen.

Danny and his wife were in business.

He collected his first month's rent in advance from his two customers and promptly went out and bought more stuff, rented it and bought more, rented it and bought more. The business mushroomed.

At first Danny dealt only with such basic necessities as beds, tables and chairs, but continually customers were asking for re­frigerators, radios and even stoves. Danny branched out.

A new factor entered into his business. As it became known all over town what the Lawtons were doing, Danny would often have an opportunity to buy a whole apartment or house full of furniture at one flat price. Perhaps the owner had received a letter from home making it necessary to sell out and get back immediately. Rather than try and sell piece by piece, or through some Moorish merchant with whom he couldn't communicate properly through language difficulties, he would turn to Danny.

When I met the Lawtons they had recently moved to a larger house, in fact, a monster of a house, but still the place was packed to the gills with every type of furniture from desks to foot stools. Beds were here, there and the other place, chairs were piled in tiers. Tables put one atop another until they reached the ceiling. They must have had, at this time, enough furniture to supply forty or fifty houses—most of it, of course, was in use.

I sometimes wondered what in the world they would do if all of their customers returned their rented furniture at once. They'd simply have had to stack it in the streets. But, of course, that situa­tion would never arise. At any one time, on an average, Danny would probably have furniture for about five apartments in his place. Seldom more than that. Danny actually had more business than he could handle and as fast as furniture would come back from one place he would be sending it to a new one.

He hired four or five Moorish boys, who pushed pushcarts, to deliver and collect, repair and paint, and Moorish wages being what they are, this overhead amounted to practically nothing.

On an average, Danny Lawton would rent a set of his furniture for about four or five months. If a person planned to stay much longer than that, he would usually being thinking in terms of buying his own used furniture, or possibly even new things. The larger percentage of his customers were in town only for limited times and it was easier to utilize Danny's service than to be bothered with purchasing and then selling.

Rentals were not high in price. A small efficiency apartment could be furnished for about five or six dollars a month. More rooms, of course, mounted up. It isn't possible for me to list prices here because every piece had its own price according to quality, age and the quantity of the stuff you were taking. But Danny figured that on an average a piece of furniture paid for itself in less than six months and once paid for was from then on clear profit. The Moors who worked for him became (or already were) experts at keeping a piece of furniture in repair and he seldom had to retire an article from use.

Could you do this?

Given a town like Tangier where furnished apartments are at a premium, you could. You'd have to have enough initial capital, of course, to get your first furniture and to advertise your service in the classified sections of the local paper.

As a matter of fact, I've seen variations on this little deal in various places in the world. I had a friend in London who had worked out a system of renting small apartments and flats in the Chelsea section of London where a great many artists and other "Bohemians" live. He would find a rather drab unfurnished place at a comparatively low rental and furnish it "Bohemian style." He'd repair it, put in some old furniture, put a painting or so on the wall, and then rent it for as much as twice what he was paying.

Unfortunately for this type of deal, London got into a whole series of complicated rental laws involving frozen rent ceilings and then unfreezing them, and so forth and so on, and Ralph had to go out of business.

I've also seen the same thing done in Mexico and in New Mexico. There's no reason why it couldn't be done in just about any locality where you have a turnover of tourists and local people who do not understand just what the average American considers a comfortably furnished house. For instance, a refrigerator to the average American is a must as is a gas or electric stove. But in most countries and particularly the "bargain paradises" such as Spain, Mexico, Greece and Morocco, these things are practically unknown. Not even comparatively wealthy folk have them in their homes. I have actually seen Americans pay double rent for the sake of having a refrigerator in the house they rented. A house in Torremolinos, Spain, which would ordinarily bring $40 a month will rent for $80 if it has an American type kitchen.

CASE HISTORY No. 3. This just wouldn't be a chapter devoted to Morocco and particularly Tangier if we didn't describe at least one of the various ways money is made in this strange city by juggling international currencies.

A thirty-five year old friend of mine named Irene Knight, originally from Greensburg, Pennsylvania, has been living in Tan­gier for some years by taking advantage of the fact that she has three or four thousand dollars. She also picks up odd jobs from time to time, being a typist, but largely her income is from that bit of capital of hers. This is how she does it.

The Spanish peseta fluctuates as greatly as does any currency in the world. It is up one day, down the next. As I write this, the legal rate of exchange, in Spain, is 42 pesetas to the dollar, but in Tangier the rate is 54 to the dollar. Tomorrow, in Tangier, the pesetas might go up to 52 to the dollar, or sink lower in value to 56 to the dollar. You never know.

If this is a bit confusing to you, thus far, reread the above para­graph because you'll have to have a clear picture of this background to understand just what it is Irene does.

Irene has her money in the American and Foreign Bank which is located at 23 Boulevard Pasteur, in Tangier. She has a standing order with them. If the pesetas drop below 55 pesetas to the dollar in value, then convert all of her dollars into pesetas and hold them. When the peseta goes up in value to the rate of 52 to the dollar, then convert all her pesetas into dollars and hold them.

If you consider this for a moment, you will see that every time the peseta fluctuates to this extent, Irene clears up a profit of 3 pesetas per every dollar she has on deposit. She would make 9,000 pesetas or about $163 each time this fluctuation takes place.

One week this happened three times. Each time the peseta went below the figure she had set the bank bought pesetas, each time it went above, they sold her pesetas for dollars. Irene netted about $500 during the period.

Now Irene was a sharp operator and kept her ear tuned to cur­rent gossip and to the news. She realized that if Uncle Sam was to loan another big chunk of money to Spain, the peseta would gain in value, or if tourist travel dropped off, it would fall. She had no intention of being caught some day with her money invested in pesetas, and then have Franco devaluate his currency. When I knew her, at least, she had never been caught. Year in, year out, she was living and living well on this small amount of capital. On an average she would turn it over possibly twice a month.

There are literally hundreds of persons in Tangier playing the fluctuating currency game. Some of them have no more than a few hundred dollars on hand, some of them have literally tens of mil­lions at their disposal. A fraction of a change in the value of a currency can send these big operators hurrying to their telephones and rushing through orders to Switzerland or New York, Hong Kong or Lisbon. Buy Indian rupees at 5.88 to the dollar; sell Norwegian kroner at 7.14 to the dollar; buy gold bullion at 532,000 French francs to the kilo!

I messed around with this myself for a time, on a small scale, and didn't do too badly, but frankly it's not my dish of tea. I'd wind up with a fine collection of ulcers in six months' time.

But maybe you're different.

CASE HISTORY No. 4. As I have compiled this book, I realize that I have mentioned American artists and writers, of one type or another quite often and possibly some of my readers might think that I've written too much about this type of American. However, it is simply that so many of these are the type person who take off from the treadmill and go off to the bargain paradises both in our own country and abroad. In fact, many readers of this book who take the advice that I give and actually get out of the rut them­selves might well find in a year or so that they've developed an interest in one or more of the arts themselves. It is when man has leisure time that he is able to look at the beautiful things of life.

At any rate, thus far I haven't dealt with a type of American living abroad that is to be found in all parts of the world, some­times even on the other side of the Iron Curtain. I'm thinking of the regional writer.

The regional writer is one who deliberately moves to a certain locality and puts down roots and writes about that locality and usually nothing else. Emily Hahn chose China, and became a top professional writer; Frank Waters chose New Mexico; August Derleth, Wisconsin. And Paul Bowles chose Tangier and Morocco.

All the above names are outstanding writers, each has made his mark. But there are hundreds of regional writers all over the globe who aren't particularly good craftsmen. In fact, some are absolutely terrible writers. But they manage to make adequate livings at it with little effort.

Why?

Because they're on the spot, because the} know the local situa­tion as does no other writer, at least no other writer who writes in English and understands what Americans are interested in.

Paul Bowles came to Tangier some years ago, fell in love with it, and decided that here he'd make his home and that Morocco would be the subject of the greater part of his writing. He probably knows more of the Moorish way of life than any other American. He eats the food, speaks the language, knows the people intimately.

If any American magazine or newspaper wants an accurate article on Tangier or Morocco—from Holiday right on down— they'd be foolish not to approach Paul Bowles. It's as simple as that. He's got it made. He's an authority. Even if he wasn't much of a writer (and he is) he'd have it made.

Could you do this?

Well, you'd have to have some ability as a writer. Otherwise it's a wide open field. You pick your locality—it doesn't have to be outside the boundaries of the United States—settle down in it and begin assimilating all the local lore. If it's a foreign country, you learn to read and write the language, you study up on the history. You meet as many of the politicians and other notables in the vicinity as you can. Then you get in touch with the news agencies such as Associated Press, United Press, International News Service and so on, and let them know you're on the spot. If possible you get a working arrangement with one or more of them, paying you regular rates whenever you can send them some usable copy. You get in touch with such magazines as Travel and Holidayletting them know you're a writer living in this section of the world.

Frankly, if you try this, I suggest that you pick a remote area. You'll have to love the country, of course, and the people and the history and the institutions of the land—otherwise you'd never be able to stick it out. But in a remote area you won't have competi­tion. You'll be the American writer for that area. In fact, you'll probably be able to make arrangements with the British and other English speaking nations as well.

If possible, learn enough photography too, to take magazine and newspaper shots. These are as salable as articles and fiction.

I can tell you this definitely. I have seen American writers who would be starving to death if they stayed in their home towns and tried to make a go of free-lance writing, doing very well indeed abroad.

How would you have liked to have been living in Addis Ababa when Mussolini invaded Ethiopia? There wasn't one regular news­paperman or commercial writer of any type in the whole country. The newsservices were going mad trying to find someone who knew something of the country, knew the Ethiopian language and was acquainted with Haile Selassie and some of the other officials. A regional writer would have cleaned up a fortune.

How would you have liked to have been located in Kenya when the Mau Mau trouble started? You could have written your ticket with any agency in the world, not to speak of such publications as Life.

How would you like to be an experienced regional writer living in Indonesia these days? Speaking the language, understanding local customs and political conditions. I can tell you, it would be worth a fortune.

There are few places in the world that sooner or later don't come into the public eye to a greater or lesser extent. When your section is hit, you in turn hit the jackpot.

CASE HISTORY No. 5. There is a corollary to the regional writer coming into the world today. The regional TV newsreel cameraman. I personally know only one of these but I also know that there are others spotted all over the world.

My acquaintance is named John Sheppard and he's British rather than American. A year or so ago he was making plans to take a trip to Morocco. In fact, he planned to spend some time there studying Moorish art and getting to know the feeling of the country. He didn't have too much money but he was figuring on living as cheaply as possible.

He mentioned his trip to a friend who worked with the BBC, the British radio and television association which is government owned. The friend was gratified. "You can be our on-the-spot cameraman," he said enthusiastically.

John snorted his amusement, "I’ve never taken a roll of movie film in my life," he said.

That didn't make any difference. They showed him in a few minutes all he had to know. They armed him with a 16 millimeter movie camera that loaded with a magazine, gave him an exposure meter, told him to hold the camera as still as possible when he shot and preferably to use a tripod.

He was to cover everything of newsvalue that happened in Morocco. If the Sultan reviewed his troops, John was to be there taking pictures. If one of the Royal Princesses gave a speech telling Moorish women why they should drop the veil and take to Euro­pean clothing, he was to get a shot of her. If the Sultan flew to America to talk to Eisenhower, or to Moscow to talk to Khrush­chev, John was to (1) get a roll of the Sultan taking off and (2) a shot of him upon return. He was to get films of the religious cere­monies at Ramadan and other Moorish holy days. In short, he was a regional news photographer.

As soon as he shot a scene he slipped the magazine into a special box and airmailed it to London. Whether or not the reel was used on the TV newscast, he was paid for his efforts.

John Sheppard is currently being paid enough to keep him comfortably in Casablanca.

Could you do this? I don't know. I've told you all I know about it above. But it's obvious that as TV continues to grow, there is going to have to be more and more of this type of coverage. No company, not even the large American ones, can afford to keep a fulltime man in each world center. Such persons as John Sheppard can make a living, or part of a living, doing this free lance work. In many ways it is similar to the regional writer, but you need a great deal less of experience to accomplish it.

If this interests you, I suggest you get in touch with the American TV newscasters and see what they have to offer.

CASE HISTORY No. 6. I only mention this at all because it's an example of a teaching job without the need of being a certified teacher. The American School, in Tangier, hires teachers without certificates. You need not have studied teaching to get a job. In fact, I know of one girl who taught at this school who hadn't even graduated from High School (although I doubt if she ever let them know that).

The American School in Tangier is on the smallish side and has both American students and Moorish children and adults inter­ested in learning the English language. At the time I was in Tangier they weren't paying particularly good salaries. As a recall it was fifty dollars per month, per class. If you taught two classes a day you made a hundred dollars a month.

There are other examples of American schools where a teacher's certificate is not necessary. For instance, the school devoted to the families of the Courier the above mentioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter which is permanently stationed at Rhodes, Greece. The school here does not demand a teacher's certificate, and usually pays a hundred dollars a month for half a day of teaching.

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