Evening star., 1941-10-31
Vichy Ignores Plea
OF Free French for
SfandstiII Protest
Nuzis Free Two Prisoners
In Return for Tips
Just Before DeudIine

BY the Associated Press.
VICHY, Unoccupied France, Oct.
31.-The population of Vichy, capi-
tai of the Petain regime, today vir-
tually ignored the Free French re-
quest for a five-minute standstlll
demonstration in protest against the
German execution of hostages.
The call for the demonstration
was issued by Gen. Charles de
Gaulle, Free French leader, in Lon
don last Saturday. For five minutes
today. beginning at pm. 10 am,
z. S. t. Frenchmen were asked to
stand still at their occupations in
silent protest against the German
punitive measures.
Gn London Gen. De Gaulle
and his staff stood silently in Free
French headquarters for five
minutes at the appointed time0
Six Stand Still in Vichy.
Reports from the rest of Unoccu-
pied France were not Immediately
available, but if they show condi-
tions like those in Vichy the dem
onstration will have been almost a
complete failure.
The Ministry of the Interior re-
ported late today that it had made
a CheCkup Of various sections in the
unoccupied zone and that the De
Gaulle appeal had had no apparent
results. The ministry said no un-
usual incidents were reported any
where.
On a survey of ViChy, Associated
Press correspondents saw only six
persons observing the De Gaulle Or
der. They we're five men and one
woman who stood with SheepiSh
looks on their faces in front of the
Church OF St. Louis in the heart OF
Vichy. watching a tower clock TICK
off the five minutes from to 4:O5
pm.
Around them busy traffic in the
center of Vichy passed the six OBJ
servers without noticing them. Nor
NAL midafternoon trading was going
on in the stores of the workers dis
tricts on the outskirts of town as in
the center.
Nazis Free Prisoners.
Shortly before the deadline Gen.
Otto Won Stuelpnagel, commander
of the German forces in France, an
nounced the release of two French
prisoners of war in compensation
for supplying information to the
German authorities by their rela-
tives.
Only last Tuesday Gen. Won
Stuelpnagel had held out the offer
of releasing such prisoners if their
families should deliver to the au-
thorities information concerning
terrorists who have slain German
officers in Nantes and Bordeaux.
Fifty hostages we're shot in each
city, and an additional so in each
CITY have been similarly sentenced
to die. The executions of this second
hundred. however, were suspended
Tuesday on personal direction OF
Adolf Hitler. according to an an
nouncement by Gen. Won Stuelp-
nagel.
The German commander told
Frenchmen he was giving them their
last chance to help track down anti
Nazi terrorists and so prevent your
fellow countrymen from being shot
as hostages -
Cabinet Hears Report.
The French cabinet this morning
heard a report by the Secretary OF
State. Jacques Benoist-Mechln, on
1.-The course and result of conversa-
tions between the French govern
ment and the occupying authorities
on the subject of hostages threat
ened with reprisals.'
Fernand de Brinon, special envoy
of the Vichy government to the Ger
man authorities in Paris, returned
from Paris today after two weeks in
Germany, where he saw many lead
ing figures of the Nazi government.