Evening star., 1951-07-23

III AVutC W lCCCItC tIIC City , III
dier. This picture was taken il
(which to decorate his bare cell
1.-THE photograph of Gen. Charlie
de Gaulle.
Born in Second Empire.
! Petain was the subject. in 1914
of a series of articles by Jane
Flanner, which appeared in tn,
, New Yorker magazine and wer,
later republished in book form b,
Simon & Schuster. Much of tn,
worlds understanding of the "olc
man of France" has been derived
from this study of his career.
This man, who lived through
lot French governments before
establishing his own, was borr
into the Second Napoleonic EN-.
'plre. He carried with him through
illte much of the autocratic at
Imosphere of that far-away perioc
of Empress Eugene hats.
! In two days at Vichy Petair
iscrapped democratic constitution
which had been in existence IS
years. Calling himself We
Philippe Petain. Marshal of
France" he kicked out President
Albert Lebrun, made himself die
tator and named Laval as his
second in command.
From the outset, he left no
doubt he regarded himself as a
savior leading France back not
ionly from her defeat, but also from
1the democratic "absurdities"
which, he believed. had brought
about that defeat.
THE regime of electoral repre-
Isentation, through majorities and
parliaments just destroyed
by defeat, has long since been
Icondemned In most of
Europe" he said.
He wanted it understood his
government would have no truck
with the false idea of the natural
Equality of man.
Abolished Labor Unions.
Sympols of the former republic
vanished from the Vichy scene; in
their place-on the currency, in
state terminology and the like
appeared relics of the good old
days." when men knew their
places.
| It was evident, at the same time,
that Petain was not living wholly
in the past. His Vichy produced
its counterparts of such modern
institutions as the Hitler Youth,
the SA and SIS troopers. In Oc-
tober. 1941, he brought out a
Charte du Travail, abolishing labor
unions and putting the French
workingman in the same corpora
tive straightjacketl which Musso-
lini had fastened on the Italians
His prestige. however, was not to
last. Nothing did it more damage
than the farcical Riom trial of
Frances war leaders, through
which Petain sought to kill off,
once and for all, the memory of
the Third Republic.
Sentenced De Gaulle to Death.
| Vichy had already sentenced to
death the absent Gen. de Gaulle-
the same De Gaulle who, as presi-
dent of the French provisional gov
ernment, was later to commute the
death sentence of Petain, his one
time regimental commander. Now
Vichy brought to the dock at Riom
former GeneralisSimo Maurice
Gamelin and two former Premiers,
Edouard Daladier and Leon Blum,
lcharged with responsibility for the
war and the defeat.
So completely did the prosecu-
tion fail to prove its point-sc
exquisitely embarrassing was the
testimony, to Berlin as well as to
Vichy-that Petain was forced te
suspend the hearings on April IA
1912, less than two months after
they had opened. THE accused
went back to jail, but Petain ane
his government had been made &
Laughing stock, and the damage
'lcould never be undOne.
] Petain, meanwhile, was having
to cope with the political machina.
Itions of Laval. a virtual German
agent of enormous ambition, VIII,
Theoretically headed the Vich.
government, as Petain headed th'
state.
A comic opera plot of Laval's
which would have put Petain int,
lthe hands of the Nazis and lef
, Laval free to lead Vichy into still
closer collaboration with Ger
, many, was thwarted when Petail
+ learned in advance of the scheme
! He imprisoned Laval ON Decembe
13, 1941, but the Germans forcet
! him to release their man within
few days. Laval was reinstated il
; full after the Riom trial, an,
seemed thereafter progressively t
, extend his power at the marshal
! expense.
= When the Americans and British
J invaded French Morocco in No
/ vember, 1912. the late Presiden
Roosevelt appealed directly TO
. Petain's aid. Said Petain, II hav
; always declared I would defen,
our empire if it were attacked
!. you should know I would kee
my word" He branded as al
. insult" a suggestion that he spok
under duress.
a Ap0lOgized to Germans.
ell Despite a subsequent claim tina
Y he had sent a secret" message or
i. dering the French not to resis
i the invasion. his answer to Presi
q dent ROD eyelt. on the surfac