Madame Caillaux Affaire

A great deal of �real� events had occurred in France from 1898 to 1914.� The German menace had grown enormously, France and Britain had finally settled centuries of conflict and France had been winning some diplomatic victories at German expense.� So, when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, one would think that France would be ready for the Great Crisis.� However, this is France, of course.� And what could be more French than to have yet another Affaire, but this time on the eve of a crisis.

In March of 1914 Le Figaro, the conservative newspaper, began publishing the love letters that Madame Caillaux had sent to her yet-to-be husband, Minister Caillaux (the two had an affair while in previous marriages.� Caillaux�s first wife was more than happy to steal and share the letters).� These were shockingly explicit letters that surprised even the French.� Le Figaro editor, Gaston Calmette, had published the letters to discredit the Premier for his pro-German policies.

Madame Caillaux took exception to this and went to �see� Calmette.� She fired six shots into his abdomen and killed him on the spot.� Caillaux pled innocent and a sensational trial took place in July, 1914 at the same time the crisis in Europe was ballooning into a World War.� However, daily revelations of the most intimate nature about a cabinet member were too good to pass up.� Could Armageddon compare to this?

The Right thought that surely the murder of a prominent conservative by a homewrecking wife of the Premier of the Republic would result in some justice.� However, it was not to be.� The jury accepted Madame Caillaux�s explanation that the gun, �just went off,� six times and she was set free.� Fortunately for France, the Right could not begin to campaign against the Republic again�the Germany Army was on its way to Paris.