Reynaud's
Evil
Geniuses
Allons enfants de la Patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrive!
high society, in the middle-class.
in the Press, in Parliament.
Early in the war: Signor
"THE day of glory has Guariglia, the Italian Ambussn-
dor to France-who was widely
come!" Such was known in Paris society and fre the thought that could be quently met politicians well read on the face of M. Paul qualified to represent French Reynard when, emerging public opinion-casually let fall from the Elysee on the this observation:
"In Paris there is a very afternoon of March 20, he strong tide of opinion in favour said to journalists in a tone of a speedy peace." of apparent unconcern: "The President of the Republic has commissioned me form the Government."
to
He had long desired that moment. More than 60 years according to a subsequent sarcastic remark by M. Pierre Laval, who had no great love for him.
So on this day when the Pre- sident of the Republic crowned. his ambition, he saw himself at the summit and strained up- wards to attain the glory of win- ning the war.
Saturday,
HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
THE MAN AND
THE SORCERESS
FRANCE: the Whole Truth
First of a new series of articles by
ELIE J. BOIS
D-will never be known whether Raynaud (above) would not have actually won if it had not been for Helon de Portes'
(left) and M. Baudouin
Sho had chosen, in Reynaud, a thorough bred, lively, highly- strung, difficult and stubborn, but of great ability.
She kept him well in hand and he obviously delighted in submit- ting to hor control.
The association of the two had long been tolerantly recognised.
Helena de Portes had a burn-
ing thirst for power. How could she imagine that she could realise her dream except by com- plete victory? ·
To her, no doubt, more often than to anyone else, Paul Rey- muud must have said: "I will win the war."
With him victorious, she too. would be Victory! Everyone would be at her feet.
But, no! That was not the way of it! She said to herself, and others said to her: "Paul's crazy with his "I shall win the war! We can't win the war. only win the defeat. Yes, win the defent."
Who cast this spell on the
Editor of the "Petit Parisian" and for 20 years we can
an intimate of France's rulers.
He saw himself as the man in whose honour marble statues would bear the words: "He de- served well of his country!" The man whose name would
One afternoon in September, She intrigued for the removal sorceress! Who timed the resound down the nges like 1939, a worthy Breton Senator of Alexis Leger, permanent tamer? Who? Baudouin ! those of Clemenceau, Joffre and rushed up to me in the court- chief of the French Foreign Day after day these two- Foch!
yard of the War Ministry, his Office, and against Daladier as Mme. de Portes and Paul Bau- arms raised to heaven.
Foreign Minister.
douin-became more intimate.
"Have you heard the news? The Council of Ministers"
"Well?"
"One Aim-Victory" In my presence he protested with a good faith beyond sus picion: "It's my wish that we
"It's terrible! Haven't you should put our backs into the read about it? The Council has war. I want to see it carried pledged itself to pursue the con- on a hundred per cent. I want duct of the war until final vie to see all our energies devoted tory, . to the sole object-victory!"
She laid her veto on De Gaulle Each gained a more and more the when Reynaud wished to ap- effective influence over point hin War Minister. "Me other.
or De Gaulle," was her attitude. The silhouette of M. Baudouin She won:
was outlined against the back of the picture when M. Paul As the Germans approached Reynaud formed his Govern Paris she talked hysterically of ment at the end of March and refusing to leave, making M. appointed him Secretary of the Reynaud uncertain what to do War Cabinet and Under-Secre- at a critical moment.
tury of State at his side.
That spirit persisted through- In addition, when he set about out the months to follow. constructing his Cabinet, he had Georges Bonnet, while he was reassumed all his old air of still Foreign Minister, asserted When all was fixed for the "no-compromise."
openly that he had told Mr Sum- French Government to retire to
Enter Baudouin
So it caused stupefaction to ner Welles, Mr Roosevelt's en- Brittany-recognised as having those in the know to see M. Paul Voy, that a speedy peace was the best possible communica- Whence did he come? His Reynaud reach the scene of ac- necessary, and that "a strong lions with Britain. America and name was almost unknown to tion with a programme worthy party" existed in France in fa- North Africa-her influence was the public at large. of Clemenceau, yet accompanied your of it.
thrown in on the side of the
very centre of defeatist pacifist intrigues.
by: bodyguard which was the In the Parliamentary lobbies armistice group which wanted to
and and political salons there were
go to Bordeaux. defeatist clans persistently ex-. What was the background or ploiting the name of Marshal the French situation when M. Petain.
A Tragic End
He belonged to that body of Inspectors of Finance from
which have come so many out- standing officials and notable men of affairs, but also so many“ untrustworthy and unbearable
Reynauri took office? Let us Among the public, the fifth During a dramatic meeting figures. look first at the condition of the column and those gravitating between Mr Churchill and M. Onlinarily there is no middle armed forces.
about it would foster doubts Reynaud at Tours, we shall see road for the products of this Of the Navy one could only about the reasons and responsi- Aline, de Portes, in the back- great school: either the excep- speak well. And all the good bilities for the "war,
ground, creating a seene in the tional intellectual overwork to things snid
which candidates for Inspector- Why were we at war? were to
For cause of capitulation. Danzig? prove true.
ships of France are subjected
The
At Bordeaux she had her mo- before the examination for en- French Air Force France would not fight for
try has trophied their brains stagnaled in comparison with Danzig. M. Deat had already ment of triumph. the R.A.F. and still more beside remarked, the same M. Dent
for life, or they resist it.
about it
But to-day, the court usher
M. Baudouin stood out among his
intelligent.
the huge stocks of Marshal Who, Air Minister at the time, will call in vain for Helene de peers as one of the boldest and most Goering. The blame for this had said in March, 1936: " Portes, nce Rebuffet. went a long way back.
will not fight for Locarno and
From his birth he had been well The Army, during the first six for the demilitarisation of the She was killed in the motor served by powerful bucking, but he months of war, engaged in no Rhineland."
car accident in which Reynand also had personal gifts, which he fighting save at the outposts.. It
Why fight for the English. was injured a week after the showed to advantage in board-rooms and then in the offices of the Minis- has been said of this period that That would be the question re- armistice.
try of Finance. it was a war of rot.
peated on a thousand lips by Then does death quash all At the beginning of 1938 he tried poisoned tongues in town and judicial action? No! Not all, to attract attention by a sort of mani- country, in the army, on the History guards her own with festo: "The Data of the French Pro- blem. which he published in the wireless, and in the Parliamen- prerogatives that nothing can Revue de Paris. One man, Mr Hore-Belisha, tary lobbies as well.
shackle. when he was British Minister This was the general internai of War, asked this question: situation M. Paul Reynand had Could not an enormous number to cope with. And, much nearer of the men mobilised be set to to him personally, he had two work extending the Maginot evil geniuses-a woman and a Line to the sea and constructing man. even a second line behind it?
Hore-Belisha's Plan
Objections were raised. Win- The Woman's Part
ter mud would make the work
►
impossible. Mr Hore-Belisha It will
be known never
to be a
The roots of his present work are inscribed there. Helene de Portes was not "No insurmountable obstacle," he beautiful! No! she was not, wrote, “separates France from Ger- There is no need to be in order many. It is a crime against our disastrous influence. country to assert that war with Ger-
many la inevitable." She was elegant, but not more M. Baudouin's little manifesto was so than many others.
a mixture in which the good, the Her face was somewhat angu- normal and the worst were mingled Jur, her complexion, not free with a scarcely concealed sympathy from blemishes, had a trace of for the totalitarian formulas,
+
consulted engineers and contrae- whether M. Reynaud, who un- chestnut about it; features and Exit Reynaud
tors, who showed how the dif- deniably dreamed of being the eyelids bore the traces of the ficulties could be overcome. man who would win the war, fatigues of an eventful life.
But it was the worst which pre-
Then the flatness of the would not actually have won it Her voice, at times a little dominated. ground was given as an excuse, if he had not had Helene de sharp, aimed to master rather in the last days at Paris, during To this Mr Hore-Bellsha re- Portes and Paul Baudouin com- than to please. She was ardent the days and nights at Bordeaux, it and ruthless in every way. was M. Baudouin who, In concert plied:
bined to precipitate him into de-
with Helene de Portes, wore awny "It would be as well to say fent.
Above all, she was audacious, the nervous strength of M. Paul Rey outright that you have no in- Let us summon the enchan-
and had so great a contempt for naud. tention of doing anything."
obstacles that she was redoubt Finally, M. Reynaud became dis- tress to the box as witness, or able, and duly feared by her couraged, unable to see things clearly Mr Hore-Bellsha resigned perhaps to the dock as chief soon after. If he had remained among the accused, and say: political ante-room, or the bou- side of the road, renouncing the rivals, whether at the salon, the knapsack and fell in a heap at the any more, and he threw down his
Minister of War would he have "Bring in Helene de Portes, née
doir.
whole of his responsibililles overcome prejudice and the force Rebuffet!" of inertia?
MONDAY:
And what are the charges Third For Power In the political field, the whole against her? What part did winter of 1939 had been domin, she play in this Tragedy of Her craving-certainly innate nted by open and secret strug- France?
and then passionately cultivated gles between the partics. The From morning till night, and for leading, holding the reins spirit of war was lacking. by day and night, she under- and making the whip crack, It was Incking in the Minis- mined the will of M. Reynaud would have made another such tries: it was lacking in the High and made him submit to her woman a circus rider or a lon Command, in the factories, in will.
tamer.
Reynaud wants to mek Game- iln, A Cabinet duel with Dala- dier. Reynaud decides to resign, but German Invasion of Iloiland en Belalani keeps the tottering Cabinet on Its feet. Gamelin rends despairing memages from the front and starts a panlo In Parla
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