Evening star., 1941-08-07
pv VAV All EN-

Ndet guards.
BY JAY ALLEN,
Correspondent of The Star and N. A. N. A
NEW YORK. Aug. THE line
of demarcation" between occupied
France and the part called free is
one of the most interesting features
of the Franco-German armistice
agreement of June, 1910.
Originally it was only what its
name indicates. But it has been
developed into a device for squeez-
ing Vichy
In March. when this corresponds
ent crossed it en- route to Paris and
got caught on his way out, the
squeeze was on. Admiral Darlan
had not yet won the full confidence
of the German government. which
was still sulking over the dismissal
of Pierre Laval on December 13.
The line was to all intents closed to
the passage of persons, goods and
money. German customs guards
had been brought in to replace SOL
diery who were both careless and
corruptible. They brought police
dogs and began setting land mines
at night.
Habit Hard to Break.
The very existence of the demarca-
ton line is challenge to the
French, who are an ingenious race.
Most everybody has his favorite
combination for smuggling letters
and pass around the address of
smugglers as we used to do during
prohibition with another kind of
address. Thousands of people man
age to slip through every day. And,
after all, the French have been used
TO moving freely in their own coun-
try and the habit is hard to break.
Perhaps l in 10000 pays with his
life. A friend of mine, an Army of
ficer. father of six children, was
brought down on the line near
Chalon while I was in Jail there
Perhaps l in 5000 gets wound We
had several lads in the infinnary
with legs or arms shattered by ex-
plosive bullets. For every person
who is caught on the line, so to 100
get through. The penalty when you
are caught is two to three weeks in
Jail or fine of from 500 francs to
whatever you happen to have on
you. For letters you can get any
thing from l to 20 months.
Regardless of whether the squeeze
Is on or off American correspondents
In Vichy can't get passes for the oc-
cupied zone, not even those among
them who have proved their sympa-
thy for Laval, Darlan and Franco
German collaboration"
BY the first of March, I had COM
pleted certain special assignments in
North Africa and the free zone. Pan
American hao promised me a seat on
the Clipper for March 10. Vichy is
q grisly place these days. Paris. un-
der any circumstances, would be
better. And it seemed silly, if not
immoral, to leave France without
having set foot in the occupied zone
which is after all two-thirds of it and
without having seen the capital un-
der the Swastika.
Paris Was a Tempta ton.
There were-and there are-stor-
les to be had in Paris. In March
the question had arisen as to whether
this country was to feed France and
there were far more passionate ideas
than facts available to explain why
France, normally self sufficient, was
so short of food, particularly in the
light of the fact that the British
were not blockading food shipments
from North Africa.
.Vichy is as remote from Paris as
Paris used to be from Moscow in
pre-War days. And about condi-
tions in the occupied zone you can
hear anything you like in Vichy.
depending on the sympathies of
your informant.
So Kenneth Downs of Interna-
tional News and I arranged for a
quiet trip to Paris. In Vichy, where
there are something like $50 agents
of the Gestapo, you don't mention
such plans. In Lyons We picked up
Paul Thiriet, one-time assistant to
Pertlnax on the Echo de Paris, who,
because of this connection and his
candid expressions of opinion, had
been forbidden to practice his pro-
fess1on in Vichy. He has since
managed to leave France.
From Lyons we took one of the
several taxi services to the line. The
Germans seem to know about these
and occasionally send Gestapo
man with a party to see who is
along. Sometimes arrests are made
and sometimes not. We drove to st.
Eusebe, hamlet in the free zone
some 2 kilometers from the line and
8 from the nearest railroad station,
In Montchanin.
Paid 100 Francs Each.
There We met our guides Called
paSseurs), two Polish miners who
had established monopoly in the
region by denouncing their French
competitors to the Germans. There
were eight in our party, and We paid
100 francs a head. Prices for guides
go as high as 1000 francs. For that
you can have fine set of false
papers made to measure, but if you
are caught you are in bad trouble.
Our guides knew the routine of
the German patrol which cycled
back and forth along some 10 kilo-
meters of the highway bordering