Paris, March 16.
A Ministerial Decree places M. Philippe Berthelot on the retired list for a period of 10 years.
Mar. 17.
It appears that it took the Council of Discipline a long time to make up its mind as to the exact nature of M. Philippe Berthelot's intervention in the affairs of the Banque Industrielle de Chine. For four hours the members discussed the matter, before giving opinion. Premier Poincaré was not present at the final sitting, but the report was submitted to him, and he was responsible for the punishment imposed upon M. Berthelot.
Generally the suspension from duty is limited to a period of five years, and the fact that M. Ber-the lot is suspended for 10 years is taken to indicate that the Council took a serious view of the faults which he committed.
He was found guilty of committing imprudence, and of insufficiently differentiating his duties at the Foreign Ministry from the interest he took in the Banque.
It was not found, however, that he favoured the Banque against the interests of the State, and it was this circumstance which led to his being placed in retirement for 10 years instead of being dismissed.
In the hour of his misfortune it is not forgotten that M. Philippe Berthelot rendered valuable services to his country during the war. He was political "director at the Foreign Office during the tragic days of July 1914, and the initiative he took when Premier Viviani and M. Poincaré, who was then President of the Republic, were returning from Russia and were not in contact with Paris, is remembered.—Reuter's Special Service.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.