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Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1945, Page 5

Reynaud spoke feelingly about Georges Mandel, ex-Minister of the Colonies, who was assassinated during the occupation. “He was shamefully murdered, not by the Germans he hated, but by French killers under Petain’s protection.” DALADIER’S EVIDENCE. (Rec. 1.25 p.m.) LONDON, July 24. M. Daladier, giving evidence, declared that in 1939 France saved the world. “We fought the war almost alone, and even the glorious Red Army was thrown off its feet at the beginning of the German tornado. If we had abandoned Poland in 1940 Germany might have had time to find the 50 divisions she later lacked to take Moscow.” Accusing Petain of having systematically taught out-of-date doctrines and strategy and neglecting to prepare the country for war as Vice-President of the Supreme War Council and as War Minister, Dala- • dier said that for five years before the war no big appointment was made without Petain’s approval. “Petain, as War Minister in the Doumergues Cabinet, reduced, the arms credit by 20 per cent at a time when construction of tanks and anti-tank guns should have begum • Later he refused to authorise the construction of a 47-millimetre anti-tank gun, which the war proved an excellent weapon.” The Ardennes sector, in Petain’s opinion was not dangerous, the Marshal expressing the opinion that “if the enemy penetrates it we shall get him on tne way out.” Daladier. passionately defending his policv during the phoney ' war Winter cf 1939-40, explained he was waiting for arms from factories and for British divisions to arrive on the Continent, but when the . moment came Petain, Weygand and. others in the plot had’ already made their choice. When the plotters decided to accept the armistice Daladier said that France had more Than 2000 modern front-line planes, of which 1000 reached North Africa shortly afterwards. The trial was adjourned. . SEVEN ESCAPEES (Rec. 11.55 a.m.) PARIS, July 24. While the Petain trial was in progress at the Palais de Justice yesterday seven French collaborators es-. caped from another quarter of the building. They were former members of the French Legion of Volunteers who were awaiting trial for collaboration. They escaped by scaling down water pipes and climbing across the Palais roofs. While they were escaping more than 400 police were on guard in the section of the building in which Petain was standing trial. SPAIN AS REFUGE-. ’LONDON, July 24. “Wanted Nazis and Quislings are 'being helped by French smugglers and Spanish Fascists to escape Allied justice,” says the “Daily Mirror.” It adds: “Just across the Spanish border from France war criminals are living in hotels at the expense of the Spanish Government. French smugglers who once helped Allied airmen to escape are guiding blacklisted war criminals through German-laid minefields to safetv across the Spanish border. The guides smuggle cloth, tobacco and, chocolate back into France. The Spanish Government is making no real effort to guard the Pyrenees frontier between Spain and France. It is a simple matter to hire a fishingboat on the French coast, sail out of sight of land, and then turn south and land in Spain after a trip of about 25 miles.” *