SECRET ARMIES
34
o clock tomorrow night. There will be nobody in
no one will be hurt."
An hour later Locuty, who had made both bombs and set the
timing devices, wrapped them into two neat packages. Metenier
be
set for ten
the building at that time, so
took
him
to the General Confederation of
French Employers
Building in the Rue de Presbourg. In accordance with instruc
tions he left one of the packages with the concierge, after which
Metenier took him to the Ironmasters Association headquarters
the Rue Boissiere, where Locuty left the second package.
On the evening of September 11, the General Confederation
of French Employers was scheduled to hold a meeting in their
building. This meeting was postponed; and, as De la Meuse had
on
assured the Michelin engineer, the concierges and their wives,
contrary to custom, were not in their buildings that evening.
At ten o clock, both bombs exploded. The plans had gone off
as arranged except for
an
accident, the investigation of
which
public the whole amazing conspiracy. Two French gen
darmes standing near one of the buildings were killed.
Immediately after the bombs exploded, the Employers Con
made
federation
and the Ironmasters
Association issued statements
charging the Communists and the Popular Front with being
responsible for the outrages and accusing them of planning a
reign of terror to seize control of France. The accusations left
effect upon the French people despite the Communists
a profound
assertions that they never countenance terrorism. The Surete
Nationale, the French Scotland Yard, opened an intensive in
vestigation which was spurred on by the deaths of the unfortunate
gendarmes. It was not long before the French people heard of
the almost incredibly fantastic plot to destroy the Popular Front
and establish fascism in France a plot directed by leading French
industrialists
of the
The
and high army
German and
officers
cooperating with secret agents
Italian Governments.
ramifications of the plot are so packed with dynamite in