It was a political scandal that rocked France to its core and proved to be a watershed event for European antisemitism. A French officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was accused of passing military secrets to the Germans. He was found guilty by a military tribunal and sent to Devil’s Island, one of the most notorious penal colonies in the world. What happened next will shock and appall you as it did not only France but the entire world. Here in Episode 49, we explore just how far the French military went to cover up their colossal mistake in what would become known as The Dreyfus Affair.

Books:

• Five years of My Life: 1894-1899 by Alfred Dreyfus
• The Man on Devil’s Island: Alfred Dreyfus and the Affair That Divided France by Ruth Harris
• The Dreyfus Affair: “J’Accuse and Other Writings of Emile Zola
• The Dreyfus Affair: The Scandal That Tore France in Two by Piers Paul Read
• The Collapse of The Third Republic by William Shire

Film:

• I Accuse (1958) with José Ferrer as Captain Alfred Dreyfus
• Papillon (1973) with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman