FRENCH PRISONERS

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1945, Page 2

FRENCH PRISONERS

PETAIN ENTERS FRANCE

(Rec. 2 p.m.) LONDON, April 26. ;The French News Agency announced that Petain entered France, and was immediately arrested. The Military Governor of Paris, General Koenig, met Petain at the frontier. Petain extended a hand whicii General Koenig pointedly refused to shake.

The Public Prosecutor, Andre Mornet, who will conduct the case against Petain, said the trial would begin on the 17th, which date was originally fixed. “His return to France makes it only necessary to take additional information from him. Petain deserves death for his politics, and I shall demand the supreme penalty, but I shall ask tne jury for clemency, on the grounds of humanity. He has reached the age where considerations of humanity should prevail.”

HERRIOT RELEASED LONDON, April 2G. I

M. Edouard Herriot, the former French Prime Minister, has been released from a German prison camp by the Russians. M. Laval ordered M. Herriot’s arrest, in October, 1942, because he had refused to give a written pledge not to try to escape from France. He was interned at his home near Lyons and in June, 1943, was transferred to a German prison camp. M. Herriot was three times reported dead. “Japanese Embassy officials from Vichy, who followed Marshal Petain to Sigmaringen and fled from there before the arrival of Allied troops, have arrived at St. Gall,” said the Berne correspondent of the “Daily Express.” “They will remain at St. Gall until the Swiss decide what to do with them.” STFRII-TSED PRISONERS LONDON, April 25. “There is widespread sterility among Frenc’t prisoners being released from Germany,” says the Paris correspondent of the Associated Press. “This is likely to have an important effect on France’s already-'dwindling birth-rate. Leading Paris specialists, in a report to the Ministry of Health, say that the Germans performed surgical sterdisalion on only a few prisoners, chiefly Jews, but sterility is high among those released as a result of malnutrition, suffering, and torture, and perhaps because the Germans secretly introduced substances into the prisoners'food. .. m „ ‘lt is still too soon to consider these spermatic disorders permanent, but one can expect in years to come a considerable recrudescence of masculine sterility among the returned soldiers. The importance of this question cannot be over-estimated in a country where rapid and vigorous redress of the birth-rate is absolutely essential.” BELGIANMON ARCH (Rec. 10.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 26. A message from Brussels says tnrt negotiations for the release of KingLeopold and his family were carried out three weeks ago between the BeMan Red Cross and the International Red Cross at Geneva. Gerp.vT officials are said to have responded favourably. MUSSOLINI DISGUISED 10.15 a.m.) LONDON. April 26. The Associated Press Berne cqr-re-nondent reports that Mussolini and Farinacei have arrived at Como. Mussolini, despite a disguise, was identified by the inhabitants. Both men are staying at a bomb -damaged m The Milan radio confirmed that Mussolini,avho was in the Milan area the city was liberated, escaped to Como monastery 30 miles northward.

CAPTURE REPORTED

LONDON. April 27

The “Daily Mail’s” Rome correspondent says: It is unconlirmedly announced that Mussolini was captured by the Italian patriots, while attempting to escape from Italy through Switzerland.

AUSTRI AN EX- CH AN CELLOR

LONDON, April 24. Political prisoners in Flossenburg concentration camp, nine miles northcast of Weilden, liberated by Americans, said to-day that S.S. men murdered the former Austrian Chancellor, Kurt Von Schuschnigg, at the camp on April 15 reports an Associated Press" correspondent. x It will be recalled that prisoners ai Buchenwald staled Von Schuschnigg was removed from there before the Allies arrived. Prisoners at Flossenburg also stated the former German Finance Minister, Dr. Sacht, was removed to Dachau when Dr. Schuschnigg was murdered. Americans liberated 1600, but inmates said the camp held 15,000 a week before the Americans arrived, ihe others being marched to Dachau. The remainder declared 12,500 were starved to death, hanged, shot or killed by injections since the camp was established in 1938. A camp inmate said he saw a camp doctor removing gold from Schuschnigg’s teeth after the execution. His body was then burnt in the camp crematorium. Prisoners said they saw 13 American paratroops hanged near the camp. One said that he was detailed to cut the bodies down. They were then placed in camp ovens.