France A Verdict on the Butcher

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After Verges finished his closing arguments, the court ordered that Barbie be brought in to hear the 341 charges against him. Asked if he had anything to say, Barbie, looking frail in a gray suit, light blue shirt and necktie, replied in French, "I did not carry out the arrests ((of the 44 Jewish children)). I did not have the authority to order the deportations. I fought hard against the Resistance, which I respect. That was war, and the war is over."

Barbie, however, was no ordinary soldier merely doing his duty. Nor was World War II just another war to be gradually forgotten. That was why France put Barbie on trial, so that a ceremony of justice, however belated and imperfect, could bring some solace for his victims and a record for future generations.