Ben M’Hidi: Jaffar says you weren’t in favour of the strike.
Ali La Pointe: No, I wasn’t.
Ben M’Hidi: Why not?
Ali La Pointe: Because we were ordered not to use arms.
Ben M’Hidi: Acts of violence don’t win wars. Neither wars nor revolutions. Terrorism is useful as a start. But then, the people themselves must act. That’s the rationale behind this strike: to mobilize all Algerians, to assess our strength.
Ali La Pointe: To prove it to the UN?
Ben M’Hidi: Yes, to prove it to the UN. It may not do any good, but at least the UN will be able to gauge our strength. You know, Ali, it’s hard enough to start a revolution, even harder to sustain it, and hardest of all to win it. But it’s only afterwards, once we’ve won, that the real difficulties begin. In short, there’s still much to do. You’re not tired, Ali?

Ali La Pointe: No.