The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-09-09
Writer Tells of Petain's Last Days In Vichy
Cocntlnuod from Page iJ

the other high officials fled during the week of August l4 and the FIT occupied the town August 2l with. out a struggle. FIT leaders agreed that most of the minor government officials were honest men who did the best they could under the clr- cIimstances and many will be sent to Paris for service in the Dc 0Nullist government.
 Instead of wreaking vengeance on Vichyltes, the FIT handled the sltu- ation with gloves and especially took precautions for tho safety of diplo- mats. After the first occupation the partisan armed forces were with drawn and now only few hundred FIT remain to assist the regular poe lice in making arrests, which now number more than 800 but were eX- pected to reach more than 1000.
 Valerie Cardinal Valeri, papal nuncio to the French government since lD36, told me that the 0estapo had arrested c number of high French ecclestiastics May % for re- Sistance activities. He understood they had been aboard prison train en. route to Germany that was stranded by Allied military actlvl- ties ct Dion. He was worried about their fate.
 Manhal's Regrets
 The Cardinal added . little in. formation concerning Petain,
 "'The Marshal once told me he re gretted the antl.Jewish policy which had been forced upon him but eX- plained: I am not free, As soon as l am l will put those things right" He said.
 Circulating here is Q large group of F'renchmen who supported De- Gnulle but sympathized with Pe- tain'S difficulties.
 Equipped with both Allied and German passes, the Swiss delegation was the first diplomatic mission to leave.
 The Japanese ambassador had fled to Germany several weeks ago and the Argentine minister had moved to F'reiburg, Germany last July 27. Other diplomats remaining Include those of Ireland, Spain, Fur key Monaco, Afghanistan, Bulgaria Romania, Portugal, Hungary, Fin land and Sweden.
 Lived Well
 Without gasoline for their liln' ousines or means of communica tins with their governments, the diplo' mats and their staffs and theil smartly dressed wives were liVine well. There is plenty of food from the rich farmland around Vichy' The diplomatic colony lounges around the luxurious resort hotels exchanging cocktail parties.
 The De daulliSt subpertect foI VIchy, who has been in office 4t hours, said now that deliveries te Germany have been stopped he was accommodating stocks of flour rom the region for use in Paris anc the Riviers.
 He said that within 4s hours after the liberation of Lyons, he had dis. patched 25O00 cars of milk, 50 tons of dried vegetables and i've tons of flour there from hidden stocks to feed children.
 Many Arrests
 Police Commissioner Jules Pascal Ieoni, officially in offce 4S hours. said many arrests were being carried out under his direction.
 He said the 0estapo jail and two military prisons were filled With new tenants and two concentration camps have been opened nearby.
 Members of Leoni's staff told me that months before the liberation, resistance leaders met secretly with some of the top leaders of petain's personal guard as well as with the general guard, and attachments Of the Army, Navy and Air forces m Vichy. The result was an armed reserve which joined the EFT at the moment of liberation.
 Only a week ago, they said mem- bers of Petain's old personal guard fought Germans near the towns Of Surdol and Thure.
 The only armed force in Vichy that did not join the resistance movement was the l,500 militiamen of Joseph Darnand's, secretary for the maintenance of order. They left with a group of Germans.
 Ingrand explained how the Maquis operated in the Massif Central.
 Real Authority
 He said part of the Cantal depart ment had been liberated since June 6 but in areas where the Germans might return the policy was to leave Vichy functionaries in oface but to put a resistance supervisor along side them to wield the real author ity.
 "If the Germans returned our men disappeared" he said. "The Vichy functionarieS then told the Germans, by agreement with us, that no Maquis were around"
 Ingrand said that since the end of May an inter- Allied military mis- sion including United States, Brit ish and French officers helped di- rect the Massif Central Maquis.
 Under the guidance of FIT ofh- cers from the southern invasion