Evening star., 1940-08-08
French High Tribunal
Opens Trials 10 Fix
War Defeat P PenaIiies
Seven Full Justices,
An Admiral and q
General Will Hear Cuses
~ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
RIOM. France, Aug. 8-The
formal setting for the war blame"
trial. called here "the greatest trial
In French history" was laid today
in this ancient city where the
Supreme Court Of defeated France
will sit to determine who and how
many led the nation to disaster and
what punishment they should suffer.
Inauguration Of the nations new
high tribunal, brought into being by
the Patain-Layal government and
charged specifically with judging
acts and men Of previous regimes,
viii lead at once to exhaustive in
vestigation Of factors which involved
France in an ill-fated war against
Germany.
Minister Of Justice Raphael Ali
bert, who personally Is installing
the court Of seven full Justices and
two alternates in the historic Palais
du Justice, has charged it with:
Seeking out responsibilities directly
incurred through foreign, internal
and military policies that led to the
situation In which France now finds
herself.Y
War Hero in Charge.
Today's brief ceremony of installa-
ton turns over the tribunal to g.
year-old Pierre Caous, former Grim
inal Court president twice wounded
in the World War and twice cited
for bravery.
Caous, as president of the Supreme
Court, will have direct charge Of the
trials. His assistant, as vice presi-
dent, Is 68-year Henri Lagarde,
former counselor of the Court of
Casa ton.
One admiral and one general are
among the justices who will delve
into the political and military back
ground OF the catastrophe which
began when France declared q state
Of war with Germany in September,
1889. and ended last June with the
collapse Of her military machine
after few weeks OF heavy fighting.
The war-blame inquiry Itself may
not get under way for several days.
Weeks, and even months, of judicial
investigation may ersue before the
defendants are ofiicially named and
specific charges entered against
them.
Court to Determine Charxes,
The governments formal demand
that the court take Up Immediately
the matter of war responsibilities
will be delivered here in the next
day or 50. CASTOR Cassagnau, So
year-old lawyer who won the Croix
de Guerre In the World War, has
been appointed attorney general to
press the case.
War and pre-war government
leaders who have been mentioned in
the French press include former
Premier Edouard Daladier, his sue.
cessor, Paul Reynaud: Gen. Maurice
Gamelin, former Popular 'FRONT.'
Premier Leon Blum, former Air Min
ister Pierre Cot and former Minister
Of Interior Georges Mandel. How
many face formal charges remains
for the court 10 decide
The wide territory which the
charges may cover was indicated In
today's press comment, such as the
following from the newspaper lie
Monitor Of Ciermont- -Ferrand:
Among the guilty are those who
before the war, but at q time when
danger was mounting, placed the
country In . state of deficiency,
sowed disorder, corrupted the public
spirit or, in short, piled up condi-
tions that led to disaster.
There also are those who fool
ishly, blindly. criminally plunged
France into war at q time when
she was at the very bottom Of her
efficiency curve.
Likewise, there are those who,
once the war had commenced, not
only continued to lie to the country,
but did nothing to pull it to its
feet. There are those who, when it
was shown that the struggle had
become impossible, preferred, rather
than accept . blow to their pride,
to see French blood continue to be
shed and new ruins accumulate on
French soil.
Finally there were those who
f1ed-who did not even have the
elementary courage to remain In
France after her defeat, and those
who openly committed treason
against France in her saddest mo-
ment.
All are guilty, ana most of all
the leaders. All will receive the
punishment they deserve"