Evening star., 1942-09-30
Notable u. ). Women
Are Reported Among
1,400 Held in France
Vichy Embassy Attempting
To Piece Together Full
Story Of Arrests
py The Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
VICHY. Unoccupied France. Sept
30.-Two American women who have
been prominent in social work In
France, the wife of former United
States trade commissioner and 9TH
ers of prominence were reliably re-
ported today to be among the ,40G
Americans rounded up by French po-
lice in mass arrests in the occupied
zone and held by German authori-
ties.
They were Mrs. Elizabeth Car
malt and Mrs. Gertrude Hamilton,
Mrs Dorothy Bliss whose husband,
a former trade commissioner, was
said to be in London, and Mrs.
Charles Bedaux, at whose villa the
Duke OF Windsor was married
The United States Embassy here
was trying to piece together a full
picture of the arrests from travellers
arriving from the occupied zone. Al
though French police carried out
the roundup, the Minister of IN
terror has denied any knowledge of
the details.
First reports reaching here yes
terdav indicated that 800 Amer
leans had been rounded up. but later
information indicated that the num-
Der was nearer l,400.
tWilhelmstrasSe spokesmen in
Berlin. commenting on the
roundup of United States citi-
zens. declared today that if
Americans actually were arrested.
1T probably was because they had
committed criminal acts.
No ofhcial explanation of the
arrests has been forthcoming
either from Berlin or Vichy. Re-
ports reaching Bern indicated
that the Americans were being
held as hostages, perhaps for ex-
change for GermanS)
Petain Confers With Nazi Consul.
Marshal Petain conferred yes
terday with Krug Won Nidda, Ger
man consul general, as unofficial
quarters estimated the l 400 Amer
leans arrested by the Germans in
cluded $50 women.
There was no indication as to the
subject discussed. Won Nidda has
conferred with Pierre Laval several
times in the last two weeks, also on
undiscloSed subjects.
Meanwhile, the collaborationist
press sought to justify Laval's COM
pulsory labor decree by suggesting
that by this measure the chief of
government had prevented the ap-
plication of German labor requisi-
tioning to France.
Reports reaching here from the
occupied zone on the wholesale ar
rests said large proportion were
persons entitled to French citizen
ship rights, having acquired dual
nationality either by marriage or
place of birth.
Embassy Takes No Action.
The United States Embassy sent
what information it had to Wash
ington. but took no formal action
because the occupied zone is consid-
cred to be enemy territory, where
the Embassy has no jurisdiction.
1n Washington Secretary of
State Hull said about / 400 Amer
leans had been arrested by the
Germans and that the arrests
were in reprisal for the alleged
detention of Germans in the
United States.)
The extremist newspaper L'Effort
declared in an editorial on the COM
pulsory labor question that a Ger
man order issued August % on the
requisitioning Of labor in occupied
areas would have applied to the oc-
cupied zone of France If Laval had
not prevented it.
The paper said that by obtaining
this concession from the Germans
the Vichy government has obtained
integral safeguard of its sovereignty
in the matter of economic and social
administration over the whole ex-
tent of national territory