FALL OF FRANCE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22203, 21 February 1942, Page 5

FALL OF FRANCE

General Gamelin Blamed War Guilt Trials Open By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyrigbi (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 19. When the trial on war guilt charges of pre-armistice French leaders began at Riom to-day, M. Blum (former Prime Minister) vehemently accused Gerieral Gamelin (former Allied Commander-in-Chief) of being the man mainly responsible for the defeat of France. General Gamelin told the court that he had often considered resigning, but felt it his duty to remain head of the army. He concluded by saying that he considered it now his duty, in the interests of France and the army, to maintain silence throughout the trial. The court comprises seven judges and three substitutes, under the presidency of M. Pierre Caous, ex-president of the criminal court. M. Daladier (a former Prime Minister) entered the court smoking the eternal cigarette, and M. Blum and General Gamelin entered smiling. The charges were: (1) A betrayal of the charges entrusted to them; (2) attempts against the security of the State. The main grounds on which the charges were based are: —On September 2, 1939, the French land and air forces were not ready to carry out missions devolving on them; that as regards the land army there was inadequate training, insufficient armaments and equipment and all kinds of lack of preparation for industrial mobilisation; that is would appear that France had a number of modern aeroplanes much below what the Supreme Air Council constituted a minimum for the safety of the country. General Gamelin, it was alleged, proved Incompetent in the training of the army, took no action with a view to making necessary armament, especially heavy artillery, anti-tank weapons and anti-aircraft material, and took no steps to remedy inadequate supplies and equipment. No Modern Planes The prosecution alleged that M. Pierre Cot (a former Minister of Air) gave proof of his incompetence in the organisation of the air force, display-

ed weakness in dealing with revolutionaries; delivered to the Spanish Republican Government official aeroplanes intended for the French air force, especially modern planes. It was alleged that M. Guy La Ohambre (also a former Minister of Air), by weakness, aggravated the inadequacy of production and on numerous occasions presented misleading information regarding production. M. Jacomet (formerly SecretaryGeneral to the Minister of National Defence) was alleged to have proved incompetent in the supervision of the manufacture of armaments. At a meeting on August 23, 1939, the military chiefs were interrogated on the point as to whether France could look on with Indifference to the loss of Boulogne, and whether France's aeroplane resources were sufficient to prevent such an event, to which General Gamelin, without making any reservation or revealing any inadequate point in French preparation, answered that the army was ready. M. La Chambre declared that progress in the air force made it unnecessary to regard deficiencies in the air force seriously. At the time of Munich, M. Daladier allowed General Gamelin and M. La Chambre to make these replies, leading the Foreign Minister to conclude that no military consideration need influence French foreign policy. There was thus sufficient presumptive evidence that the accused betrayed their duties, for which reason the court orders their trial. One Man Blamed General Gamelin's counsel said that it was not fair to make one man, namely General Gamelin, bear responsibility for the fall of France. General Gamelin's intending silence was due to a spirit of self-sacrifice to protect his subordinates. Counsel blamed the confusion of democracy for France's fall. M. Blum, giving evidence, said: “I and the other accused appear before this court in contradiction of the principles of justice and human trust, and have been condemned in advance by the sentence of the Chief-of-State based on the advice of his politlcai counsellors. The court wants to reject the evidence of the army, whereas the responsibility of the High Command is overwhelming, whatever may have been supplies, equipment and morale. I question the Independence of this court. It is already relieved of its future verdict, but we will take up the struggle and will bring the whole truth to light.” No action is being taken at the moment against M. Paul Reynaud, a former Prime Minister, and M. Georges Mandel, former Minister of the Colonies. The trial is expected to last between four and six months. The judgment of the Court will be final. It is able to sentence the accused to banishment, but cannot impose the death sentence.

TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE

TRIALS NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY (Rec. 7.35 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 19. M. Pierre Mandes-France, formerly a French Cabinet Minister, has arrived in London to join General de Gaulle after escaping from a French prison. He said that he volunteered for the Air Force at the outbreak of war and after the armistice was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment for desertion. “I discovered that the prosecution had

chosen four of my seven judges. I appealed to the Supreme Court, which rejected my appeal. On June 21 last year I vanished, leaving a letter for Marshal Petain that I regarded the judgment as purely political.”.

M. Mandes-France added that socalled justice in France was now terrorism. Political condemnations were numerous and only thus had the Government survived. The same methods will apply to the Riom trials. They will be a travesty of justice, for which reason nobody in France considers them seriously or has any illusions about the verdicts.