Evening star., 1945-08-01

.Lduding Petain
Read at Trial
Marshal Described as
Always Acting in Best
Interests of France

(Tert OF Leahy Letter on Page AZ. }
BY the Associated Press.
PARIS, Aug. Admiral Will
liam D. Leahy, chief of staff to
President Truman, expressed
the belief that Marshal Petain
always acted in the best inter
ests of France in a letter read
today at the marShal's treason
trial.
AS read in court, the letter of Ad-
miral Leahy. who is attending the
Big Three conference at Potsdam.
expressed high regard" for Marshal
Petain and said he was unable to
appear as a witness because of his
position. He had been United States
Ambassador to the Vichy regime of
Marshal Petain until the Germans
took over the unoccupied portions Of
France in November. 1912. when
North Africa was invaded by the
Allies.
Admiral Leahy's letter. addressed
to the marshal and dated July %
was in reply to Petain's request that
he return to France as a witness.
Petain's Views Recalled.
The admiral stated that he re-
called that on many occasions he
had heard Petain express a desire
to see the Nazis overwhelmed.
After the letter was read, Chief
Judge Paul Mongibeaux asserted
There is one sentence against Pc
tain in that letter
The defense protested and Mongi-
beaux did not explain the sentence
to which he referred.
Admiral Leahy's letter said that
while he was Ambassador to France
you did, on occasion at my request,
take action in opposition to the de-
sires of the Axis and favorable to
the Allied cause"
"On every instance when you
failed to accept my recommends
tions to oppose the Axis powers by
refusing their demands, you stated
the reason was that such positive
action by you would result in addi-
tional oppression of your people by
the invaders" the admiral con-
tinued.
Concerned Over People.
"I had then, as I have now, the
conviction that your principal con-
Germ was the welfare and protection
of the helpless people of France. 1t
was impossible for me to believe that
you had any other concern.
However, I must in all honesty
repeat my opinion, as expressed to
you at the time, that positive re-
fusal to make any concessions to
Axis demands, while it might have
brought Immediately increased
hardship to your people, would in
the long view have been advantage
Gus to France"
ct was to this last passage that
the judge apparently alluded)
Marshal Petain's counsel said to-
day Pierre Laval, described yester-
day as Petain's "evil genius" would
be summoned as witness.
AS Gen. Maxine Weygand re-
turned for further cross-examination,
Prosecutor Andre Mornet demanded
that I'VE return to the essential facts
of the Petain trial. and avoid a
repetition of yesterdays session
when Gen. Weygand, Petain and
former Premier Paul Reynaud en-
gagged in bitter recriminations.
Not a Trial of the Armistice.
This is not a trial of the armis-
tice," the prosecutor said. THE
armistice is only a preface to the
accusation. Petain's treason would
have been impossible without it. His
treason began on July II, 1910, when
he plotted against the republic. At
that moment Petain outrageously
violated his responsibilities to the
republic"
Once again, he promised that
written ocuments-unknown to
most people-would be presented
constituting "the true basis for this
action"
Judge Morgibeaux and Prose-
cutor Mornet both attempted to
prevent a continuance of the run
ming debate between Gen. Weygand
and Reynaud, but it broke again
after Armand du Chayla, Minister to
Luxembourg, testified briefly. He
was counsellor of the French En-
bassy in Madrid while Petain was
Ambassador and he denied the
marshal had plotted with Generals
simo Francisco Franco.
Demands Right to Reply.
AS he finished, Gen. Weygand and
Reynaud both rose. The little gen.
eral, who commanded French forces
at the time of the collapse, declared: ::
"Reynaud made some grave accu-
sations against Marshal Petain and
myself yesterday. I demand the
right to reply"
The court, instead, allowed Rey-
maud to begin a statement which he
said was proof that Petain and
Weygand put their ambitions ahead
of their country"
From the day he took the SUI
preme command, Wegand thought
of using his power for political
aims" Reynaud-who appointed
Gen. Weygand a month before the
armistice-said, Gen. Mauric e
Gamelin told me of Weygand's atti-
tude when he took command"
Bursts Into Laughter.
Gen. Weygand bust into laughter
when Reynaud asserted that on the
day he assumed command, he went
to see Gen. Gamelin, his predeces-
sor. and told him II have the secret
OF Foch. Gen. Weygand was chief
tSee PETAIN, Page A-3.)