Of all these measures, the most ambitious-as well as the one that was to leave the most lasting imprint of Soustelle's regime-was the formation of the S.A.S corps. Their aim, essentially, was to take into their protective net populations in the remoter bled that might otherwise become subject to the rebels, or buffeted by the army-or both. Some 400 S.A.S detachments were created, and each under an army lieutenant or captain who was an expert in Arabic and Arab affairs and could deal with every conceivable aspect of administration; from agronomy, teaching and health, to building houses and administrating justice. The kepis bleus, as they were affectionately called, were a selflessly devoted and courageous band of men, who made themselves much loved by the local populace, and for that reason were often the principal targets of the F.L.N., suffering the heaviest casualties of any category of administrator. Foreign journalists who saw them at work in the remoter bled, isolated and in constant danger, never ceased to be impressed. Unfortunately, there were always too few kepis bleus with all numerous qualifications that the job required; and, inevitably, there were the bad ones who transformed the S.A.S into "intelligence centers" where torture was not unknown.
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