Stirred by rumors of a prospective Nazi putsch in the Saar plebiscite area for which, it is alleged, 17,000 young Saarlanders are being prepared in the Hitlerite labor camps, French troops are being held in readiness to enter the Saar.
Garrisons in Alsace Lorraine, including the 20th Corps at Nancy and the 6th Corps at Metz, were under orders today to be in readiness for field service should the League of Nations appeal for help.
Secret letters seized by the League of Nations Commission now ruling the Saar refer to a Nazi putsch, either before or after the plebiscite, which is to be held on January 13, 1935, to decide the fate of the Saar.
Approximately 10,000 Jews live in the Saar and Jewish organizations have requested the League to arrange for guarantees that the Jews will receive minority status protection, no matter what the result of the plebiscite.
More than 500,000 Saarlanders are registered for the voting, but the League Commission has received complaints contesting the validity of over 100,000 registrants.
Saar voters will have the choice of a return to German hegemony, adhesion to France, or a continuation of League Commission rule.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.