The Betrayal of France

Letter to the Editor 1 WONDER who is that genius, Pierre Van Paassen, who inspired your recent article, “How France Was Betrayed in 1940”? Is he French? His name is not, to be sure. But in spite of that he must be a wonderful man.

Such a brain! From the beginning of the war he knew, himself alone, more than all the rest of the French nation!

He knew the personal character of Wey gand and Petain, as well as their inten tions and plans. He knew the mind of the French people at large. He knew what Mussolini was going to do the fol lowing year. He knew the ideas that were pervading the French Academy. He knew what the French General Staff and the Officers’ Corps had up their sleeves from the beginning of the war. Nay, more: He knew the treacherous intrigues that were led by that horrible Roman Catholic Hierarchy, always out for mis chief—that same Roman Catholic Hier archy (which, by the way, has nothing Roman about it, but is purely French from top to bottom) that had at its head that same Cardinal Gerlier who, a few days ago, resisted openly Laval’s order to send all Jewish children to Germany.

But I suppose this is a mere detail which could not disturb such a high minded person as Monsieur Pierre Van Paassen.

Such a wonderful man! What a pitv that he was not discovered in May, 1940. when France was so much in need of another Napoleon! He would have been the man, to be sure.

However, great as he may be, he seems to be living in the moon, and to be completely ignorant of facts which are of common knowledge. I shall take the liberty of reminding him of a few:— (1) For the last 50 years—in fact, from the beginning—the famous Republic had been piling blunder upon blunder, and had become the laughing-stock of Europe. (2) For over 40 years, the falling birth rate in France had become a public scandal—so much so that in many parts of the country there were many more graves than cradles. Had France had, in 1939, only the same rate of ponulation as England, its total population should have been 80,000,000. Then there would have been means of finding the men to fill that cruel gap at Sedan. (3) Van Paassen does not seem to know anything about those half-baked maniacs called Painleve, Caillaux and Blum, who have been at the head of French politics since the last war. Fancy Blum, at the time of a general strike at Lille, almost going on his knees before the crowd of workers, and entreating them to be good boys and to go to work; then, about the same time, sending to the Communists of Spain the tanks and the aeroplanes of the French army No wonder that a year or two later the Ger mans could invade France at the rate of 20 miles a day! (4) Has Van Paassen ever heard of a low-grade woman called Helene de Portes, a vile creature who was in the pay of Hitler, and who was holding com panionship openly with Revnaud. when the latter was at the head of the French Government, right up to the time of the armistice? Here is what a certain Louis Levy, a war correspondent now in Lon don, writes about this hideous character in his book. “The Truth About France.” p. 153: “The liaison between Paul Rey naud and Helene de Portes (since killed in a car accident), and the unfortunate influence she exercised over him, were matters of public knowledge. It was she

who introduced the capitulationists into his circle, she who tried to turn him from the proper path and suggested to him some of the unfortunate measures for which he was responsible.”

A woman—and a woman of that type— leading by the nose the Prime Minster of France in those tragic days of June, 1940! If this fact cannot bring the great Van Paassen to his senses, it’s just as well to leave him alone.

I am, etc.,

“Spectator.”

Suva, 29 9/42.