Political Anachronism

Before a Lyons court stood the most famous collaborationist yet brought to trial in France--bearded, brilliant Charles Maurras, political anachronism, polemicist, poet, member of the French Academy, ex-editor of L'Action Franc,aise, and a royalist more royalist than France's Pretender, Henri VI (the exiled Henri of Bourbon-Orleans, Count of Paris). The little old man was 76 and stone deaf. All charges and questions had to be given him in writing.

He had been Marshal Petain's counselor and Vichy's foremost apologist. On his lapel he still wore Marshal Petain's badge. "I do not fear facing a firing squad," he cried. "If I had to do it again, I would." He retracted nothing, not even his 1941 words--"De Gaulle is a traitor who commands the scum of the world." He thumped the ledge of the prisoners' dock, proclaimed himself a "patriot," read a seven-hour political harangue against every act of the Third Republic. The court listened wearily to the end.

Then the prosecutor briefly "summed up the case against Maurras. In L'Action Franc,aise he had denounced patriots by name, caused some to be arrested and shot. The judge and four lay consultants deliberated for 90 minutes. Their verdict: Maurras was guilty of treason. His sentence: life imprisonment at hard labor.

Cried Maurras, as he was led away: "Vive la France!"

In Bulgaria a revolutionary tribunal passed a more severe sentence. A scoffing court found Prince Cyril, ex-Regent and brother of the late Tsar Boris III, guilty of collaboration with the Axis, condemned him to death.

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