Page "Maurice Papon" Paragraph 43

Papon's lawyers argued that he was a mid-level official, not the person making decisions about whom to deport.

His lawyers argued that he did the most good he could, given the circumstances, and ensured that those to be deported were treated well while in his custody.

However, the prosecution argued that the defence of following orders was not sufficient, and that Papon bore at least some of the responsibility for the deportations.

Calling on assistance from the best historians of the period, they dismantled his arguments of having tried to " humanize " the conditions of deportations of the Jews.

While Papon claimed that he had worked to grant humane conditions of transport to the camp of Mérignac, historians testified that his concerns were motivated by efficiency.

Although Papon claimed that he had used ordinary trains, and not livestock trains as used by the SNCF in numerous other transfers, the historians asserted that he was trying to prevent any demonstration of sympathy toward the Jews from the local population.