Evening star., 1945-02-18
Gould
Continued From First Page)

Press she undoubtedly was "the
wife of very prominent Amer
ican" mentioned by Secretary Nor
genthau as being under investiga-
ton by French authorities.
Morgenthau Statement Recalled.
Secretary Morgenthau said Tues
day the United States had told the
French government it would assist
in a French investigation of very
famous" American couple suspected
of collaboration with the Nazis.
France had asked If the United
States would object to an investiga-
ton, addressing its query to the
Treasury because the Americans
might have some assets in the
United States.
Mrs. Gould is former Partisan
actress and the third wife of Gould,
who has lived in France for 35 years.
Youngest son of Jay Gould, he in
herited an estate estimated at $10.-
100000 from his fathers S83 ,000, 900
fortune.
Il haven't the slightest fear of
this investigation" Mrs. Gould
added. Not half the story has yet
been told. Mr., Morgenthau should
have known the full details before
he spoke"
Yes, it is true that I invested
some of my own money in this
banking concern - 100000 francs
and more" she said. Il did so to
keep Frank Jay Gould from being
taken to Germany He is 81 years
old and sick man If he had been
put in concentration camp it
would have been his death.
''''~ Nazis' Were Pulling Out.
''The date of the transaction was
July 81, 1944-when the Americans
already were sweeping through
France and the Germans were pull
ing out. If I had wanted to help
the Germans, do you think I would
have waited until that late date to
do so? All, no. That would mean
was crazy"
Mrs. Gould said she had not only
paid out the money to keep her
husband from being taken off by
the Germans, but had also planned
his kidnapping with the help of
the French Maquis to prevent the
Germans from seizing him.
After this money was paid was
not even then sure I could trust
these people, so planned to have
my own husband kidnapped"
Mrs. Gould then was in Paris and
her husband in Nice, where he re-
mained, unmolested, throughout the
war.
She said she got four members of
the FIJI and physician to proceed
southwark with the object of TAX
i ing her husband to the Maquis so
the Germans would not find him.
Group Is Stopped.
They got as far as AK en- Pro-
vence, where the local FIJI authori-
ties would let them proceed no far
ther because they told them an AL
lied landing in the south of France
was imminent" Mrs. Gould said.
asked her, do you mean that
this investment in the bank was a
sort of blackmail payment to keep
the Germans from arresting and
deporting your husband?"
Mrs. Gould'S business manager,
Raymond Gallauziaux, who was
present, said, You have the idea
precisely"
Mrs. Gould said her investment in
the banking firm was as "a COM
manditaire
Under this arrangement, investors
may participate in the bank without
voice in it's management and with
out liability in case of its insol-
vency.
The bank is understood to be a
private one. French officials have
not divulged information about the
firm. Nor have they named Mrs.
Gould, although they have con-
firmed Mr.. Morgenthaus statement
of investigation of the financial
dealings of the wife of a prominent
American.
Property Sequestered.
M. Gallauziaux said the investi-
cation was IAN administrative one"
and that the only action the gov
ernment had taken against Mrs.
Gould was sequestration of her
property pending its outcome, as is
done in all such cases.
"Of course" Mrs. Gould said, "if
I were collaborationist would I be
here now? Of course not. wouldn't t
be free"
She received me in her home in
the most fashionable part of Paris,