Evening star., 1941-10-27
Reprieve Envisaged
For 100 Hostages
Facing Execution
Search for Assussins
Reported Narrowed by
French information
BY PAUL GHALI,
Foreisn Correspondent Of The Star and
Chicago Daily News.


Foreign Correspondent of The Star and
Chicago Daily News.
VICHY, Oct. 27.-Vichy sees indi-
cations today that the execution of
100 more hostages in Nantes and
Bordeaux In reprisal for the murders
last week of two German officers in
those towns may be stayed and pos
sibly even transformed into gen.
eral reprieve. The original time
limit for the capture OF the mur-
derers ends for Nantes at midnight
tonight and for Bordeaux at mid
night Wednesday night.
Dispatches from Paris-pasSed by
German censors-state that nfor-
nation has been received from GER
tain French sources which has mar
rowed the field of investigation and
may lead to the arrest of the as
sassins. In these dispatches it is
emphasized that those who provided
this information made no claim to
the $4,000, ,00O-franc ($345 ,OOO re-
ward and that in appreciation the
Germans have ordered the release
of the relatives of the informants
now interned in Germany as war
prisoners and that similar cons:dera-
ton has been promised to any one
supplying additional information.
(The Berlin correspondent of
the Swiss newspaper Tribune de
Geneve said today it was under
stood in some quarters in Berlin
that there would be no more mass
reprisal executions in France 1t
was intimated that an official
German statement might be pub
lished next Monday in reply to a
request by the Vichy government
that the firing squad execution of
hostages be ended
Conversations Continue.
Meanwhile, conversations continue
between the French and German
governments. and there is every rea-
son to believe that Marshal Petain's
rumored intervention in the form Of
an expressed desire to offer his per-
son as a hostage has had consider
able effect. To cite his own words.
end the slaughter.
1t is obvious that further mass
executions could hardly further
Franco-German collaboration. Con-
quered and conQueror must achieve
a modus vivendi in all spheres of
their relations. Vichy, on one
side. seeks to preserve all it can of
its independence and yet meet Ger
man demands with reason. Berlin,
on the other, through its occupa-
tional authorities. seeks as many
concessions as possible without in
element of French antagonism.
A significant argument in favor of
total collaboration with the Third
Reich by Petain's new state is de-
veloped. strangely enough. by the
Socialist organ L'Effort. Paul Rives,
former Socialist deputy who styles
pursues the theme that the Ger
man armies are armies of revolu-
ton He writes that Germany
has discovered the advantages of
autarchv more than she has in
vented them"
"Autarchy economic self -sufi-
ciency)." says M Rives, lis pre-
carious when limited to fronts. It
becomes solid when it covers
whole continent.
French Socialism should join this
revolution and bring it to its tradi-
tiors of individualism."
Reaction in Vichy Assailed.
This theory by NJ. Rives is assisted
by Paris article written by Marcel
Deaf, who was shot recently at
Versailles. M. Deaf. along with
Pierre Laval. claims that what has
weakened Montoire collaboration
arranged year ago in the French
town of that name by Petain and
Hitler more than anything else
has been Vichy's reactionary spirit.
Another favorite theme of the
Paris press is that it is dangerous
paradox to fulfill Frances present
national revolution" without di-
from the traditions of the
former regime
Newspapers in the former capital
continue to insist that Vichy has
not been strong enough in its meas
ures against Jews and that Vichy
has not been adequately interested
in the welfare of the workers.
Copyright, 194l, by the CHICAGO Daily