TRIAL OF PETAIN

Grey River Argus, 15 August 1945, Page 4

TRIAL OF PETAIN

COUNSEL’S ADDRESS “Best of France's Sons” ’ PARIS, August 13. The trial of Marshal Petain was resumed on Monday. . ■_ No newspapers will be publishing in Paris from to-morrow for an indefinite period, because they have exceeded their newsprint supply on bigger editions during the Petain trial, despite the Government warning that no extra paper would be issued to them. When the trial was resumed, Marshal Petain’s counsel, M. Fayen, deplored the prosecution’s demand for the death penalty. He said that Petain would never ask for mercy. Counsel referred to Petain as the best of France’s sons. He argued it was a scandal for France that he should be put on trial. His loyalty to the Republic was incontestable. M. Payen said that Petain refused to consider capitulation, but an armistice appeared an absolute necessity to almost everybody. Nobody in Britain blamed France for the armistice. Mr Churchill himself took the initiative in examining the conditions under which Britain would free France from the undertakings of March 28, 1940. Britain was satisfied, and did not insist on the handing over of the French Fleet. Fetain insisted on remaining in France. It. became an obsession with him to protect the population. The vast majority'- of those who stayed behind in France remained Germany’s enemies. The Germans, if the armistice had not been signed, would have imprisoned 2,000,000 more men from whom were later to come French resistance leaders.

All 24 jurors in Petain’s trial received an average of a dozen anonymous letters each, threatening them with death if Petain is condemned to death. The President of the Court and his two assistant judges have received similar letters.