trials of Holocaust perpetrators in France

Paxton focuses specifically on the pitfalls of the trials of Vichy officials. He points out the great unevenness that appears in the treatment of various groups of defendants. The trials focused on activities that could be deemed 'treasonous' that is collaborating and acting under the aegis of the Germans. Vichy's legal responsibility for crimes against the Jews was most convincingly demonstrated in the recent Papon trial