Evening star., 1942-04-14
Petain Yields to Nazi Demands
Giving Laval High Cabinet Post;
Riom War Guilt Trial Suspended
Axis Collaboration
Expected to Be
Government Chief
D. TIE Associated Press.

D, tire Associated Press.
French Chief of State Petain
agreed under German pressure
today to reorganize his Vichy
government under pro-Axis
Pierre Laval for renewed collab-
Grafton with the Nazis.
Foreign diplomatic sources in
Bern. Switzerland, who saw the
possibility of diplomatic break
between the United States and
Vichy France, said Laval would
return to the government Thursday
with a new title, chief of the gov
ernment."
This title will make him No. 2
man in the government under Mar
shall Petain, who remains chief of
state" and enable him to inaugu-
rate full Axis collaboration, these
sources said.
At the same time the Vichy gov
eminent suspended the Riom war
guilt" trials of Frances republican
leaders, to which Adolf Hitler had
objected.
Petain Becomes Figurehead.
Under the prospective reorgani-
zation France would pass completely
to the Axis sphere, aged Marshal
Petain, although remaining chief
of state" would become a figure
head and Vice Premier Admiral
Jean Darlan would retain only his
present post as Foreign Minister.
The posts of premier and vice pre-
mier probably will be abolished in
the new government, the Bern diplo-
matte sources said.
Marshal Petain was reported as
continuing to preside over the Coun-
Gil of Ministers (the full cabinet
and the chief of the state) without
the technical title Of premier.
The Vichy announcement said
Petain, Laval and Admiral Dar-
Ian met today and decided on
"the constitution of government
established on new foundations"
Their next meeting was set for
Thursday when, presumably, the
places of Laval and Admiral Darlan
will be allotted.
Trials Scope to Be Broadened.
On the day the Riom trials were
to have resumed after the Easter
recess, a special law decreed their
indefinite suspension to permit
broadening of their scope to include
political as well as military mis-
takes which led to war and defeat"
for the Third Republic.
The special law, signed by Marshal
Petain, was based on a report to the
chief of state by Admiral Darlan and
Justice Minister Joseph Bartelemy,
which said in part:
The responsibilities incurred from
the fact of inadequacies in our
national defense and of political and
military mistakes which led to war
and defeat are indivisible because
they contributed to the same
disaster"
Sees Darlan For Hour.
Laval, who has taken part in
numerous conferences in the past
fortnight with leaders Of the Vichy
regime, first conferred for an hour
today with Admiral Darlan at the
Pavilion Sevigne, in Vichy. That
meeting lasted from 10 to II am.
Then he went to Marshal Petain's
private Office at the Hotel du Pare,
where he remained from 11:15 am.
to 1925 pm.
The announcement was read to
the press by Paul Marion, secre-
tary general for information, in the
conference room of the information
secretariat building.
The conference was so hastily
called that most Of the foreign press
missed it.
Recess Taken April 2.
The Riom trials recessed April 2,
and there had been indications that
the sessions would not be resumed,
at least for the time being.
The projected broadened scope of
the trial would fit Germany's poll
tical purposes-to make its five de-
PENDANTS, erstwhile leaders of the
French republic, scapegoats not only
for Frances defeat, but also for hav-
ing led her to war against Germany
in the first place.
The Riom decree was explained
by D.N.B., official German news
agency in Berlin, as meaning that
the question of responsibility for
the war will be raised"
A report published in the official
(See FRANCE, Page A-3J