An intimate journal of the Dreyfus case

by Maurice Paléologue, Eric Mosbacher (Translator)

English, French (translation)

319 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1930

About the author

Maurice Paléologue (1859 -1944) was a French diplomat, historian, and essayist. He played a major role in the French entry into the First World War, when he was the French ambassador to Russia and supported the Russian mobilization against Germany that led to world war.

Reviews

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maurice Paleologue was a high-level French bureaucrat; this vividly translated, easy-to-read book consists of his day-to-day recollections about the Dreyfus affair, in which a Jewish army officer was falsely accused of being a German spy. At the start of the book, the author is convinced that Dreyfus is guilty - but by the end he was convinced that Dreyfus was innocent.

The most surprising part of this book is that it shows why seemingly reasonable people believed that Dreyfus was guilty. Army officers testified that they had secret information proving Dreyfus's guilt, and many Frenchmen trusted the Army enough to believe them. But after another possible suspect was identified, the author (and many others) changed their minds. Ultimately, Dreyfus was pardoned.

[Laurent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aujourd'hui oublié, Maurice Paleologue est un diplomate qui s'est trouvé au coeur d'au moins deux évenements majeurs de l'histoire de la France: l'affaire Dreyfus et le déclenchement de la Première Guerre Mondiale.
Lorsque l'Affaire éclate, M. Paléologue est haut-fonctionnaire au Ministère des Affaires Etrangères. Il côtoie au quotidien les acteurs civils, politiques et militaires du scandale. D'abord convaincu de la culpabilité de Dreyfus, il change peu à peu d'avis au fur et à mesure que les "preuves" s'effondrent et que les supercheries éclatent au grand jour. Il est amené à représenter son ministère dans les procès en révision, devant la Cour de Cassation puis devant la Cour Martiale de Rennes. Son témoignage, subtilement édité par ses soins pour lui donner l'allure d'une enquête policière, est une plongée dans l'atmosphère étouffante de l'époque.