Dreyfusards and the Foreign Press: The Syndicate and the Daily News February-March 1898

Abstract

January and February 1898 were crucial months in Dreyfus case. Between January 2 and 11 Major Charles Walsin Esterhazy was tried and acquitted in a court-martial of charge that he was real traitor in affair. On January 13 Emile Zola and Dreyfusards sought to reopen case by publication of his sensational J'Accuse letter in Georges Clemenceau's newspaper, L'Aurore.' Five days later, on January 18, Zola was charged with criminal libel and, during following fortnight, German and Italian governments attempted to assure their parliaments that German and Italian military attaches in Paris were not involved with Esterhazy. As Zola trial began on February 7, it was clear that Zola and his counsel, Maitre Fernand Labori, planned to use proceedings to compel French war ministry to reveal what they had previously concealed in Dreyfus affair and thus prove verity of accusations which Zola had made in J'Accuse letter.2 One of Zola's major objectives was to show that former German military attachE in Paris, Colonel Max von Schwartzkoppen, was the key to Affair. . . .3 On other hand, Mfline ministry and French general staff sought to confine Zola proces strictly to an examination of evidence for and against Zola and to avoid anything which defense might seek to present on behalf of Dreyfus.