Evening star., 1945-10-09
Laval Sentenced
ToDeath by Jury
After Minutes
Ex-Viehy Chief Won't
Appeal to De GauIIe,
CoufseI Declares
Ey the Associated Press.

PARIS, Oct. 9.-Pierre Laval
tonightWas condemned to death
for treason and stripped of all
his citizenship rights by jury
which required only 81 minutes
to find him guilty.
The former Vichy chief of gov
ernment, who before the war was
three times Premier of France, had
boycotted the trial after the open
ing days and had been confined to
a dungeon beneath the Palace of
Justice. He had denounced the
trial as a judicial crime"
Once again, Laval was not in the
courtroom, His attorney, Albert
Maud, quoted him as saying:
1T was what I expected all
along"
Maud said Laval took the verdict
"very calmly"
One of Lavals guards said he re-
fused to appear for the reading of
the lengthy verdict.
Won't Appeal to De Gaulle.
Lavals only chance of escape is
to appeal to Gen. Charles de Gaulle
for communication to life imprison-
ment.
But this, his attorney said, Laval
would refuse to do
Judge Paul Mongibeaux started
droning out the long verdict soon
after the jurors filed in at SIT pm.
He pronounced sentence only after
the whole document was read.
No date was fixed for execution.
The jurors-comprised of II men,
bers of Parliament and IL from the
resistance movement-made it plain
that Laval had damaged his posi-
ton by his wartime radio broad
cast in which he called for Ger
man victory. The verdict said the
jury held Laval responsible for
"maneuvers leading to establish
ment of the Vichy regime"
He was convicted also of estab-
fishing militias to oppose the
Maquis-backbone of the French
resistance movement during the oc-
cupation.
The verdict said it was useless
to enumerate all of the acts for
which Laval was responsible, mas
much as Laval was the cause of
four years of French suffering"
Convicted on Other Charges.
The jury convicted Laval of ad-
vocating collaboration with the
Germans, of setting up anti-Jewish
and anti-Masonic legislation and of
sending young Frenchmen to Ger
many for forced labor.
The verdict also concluded that
Laval arranged the meeting at
Montoire of Hitler and Marshal
Petain, session which marked
the start of active collaboration
between Vichy and Germany.
Laval was held responsible fol-
the scuttling of the French feet
and for breaking relations with
the Anglo-Saxon powers"
The trial had been expected tc
last at least two weeks. Laval al
the outset promised to disclose
many international secrets. He was
evicted the first day soon after the
judge, jury and prosecutor in unison
screamed down Laval's assertion
that II am patriot and I viii
prove it"
He was evicted from court agair
the second day, and thereafter
started strange sitdown strike, re.
fusing to attend his own trial.
Cabinet Discusses Case. d.
The French Cabinet discussed
the case at a lengthy, secret session
today with Gen. de Gaulle, but die
not intervene. Information Minister
Jacques Soutelle said the minister,
had found that the case was pro.
ceeding according to law.
Paris newspapers have been caus.
tic in criticiZing the trial.
The first witness summoned to.
day, Leon Noel, former secretary
general of the French Foreign Min.
istry, startled the court by declar.
ing: II refuse to make any state.
ment in the absence of Pierre La
val"
Noel said he had made serious
charges against Laval during the
trial of Marshal Petain, but 81 shall
not forget what owe Laval during
part of my career and his interven-
ton in 1942 for one of my relatives.
Noel did not explain either of the
ellIIsjnns