Chronology established by Dr. Jean-Max Guieu, Georgetown University
1894
Warned by the Spanish Military Attaché Valcarlos,
the French Intelligence Services, headed by Colonel Sandherr, have been
carefully watching secret correspondence between the German and Italian Military
Attachés, Maximilian von Schwartzkoppen and Alessandro Panizzardi.
Germany and Italy are at that time allied with Austria in a military union (the
Triple Alliance) hostile to France.
July 20 : Infantry Major Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy who, through occasional contacts with the General Staff, was exposed to classified French information, offers his services to the German Military Attaché, Lieutenant-Colonel von Schwartzkoppen, promising to pass on military secrets.
September 26 : The French Intelligence Services intercept a message (from Esterhazy, but not signed), received Sept 1, 1894 by Schwartzkoppen.
From the nature of the leaks in this memorandum -- the "bordereau,"-- they conclude that the spy must be an artillery officer and a member of the General Staff. In addition, the traitor may have been in contact with different bureaus as an intern.
October 6 : After a brief inquiry, only half a dozen officers seem to match the description, including Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an artillery officer on the General Staff. He is from Alsace, a French province under German rule since the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871), and some members of his wealthy family still reside there. As a probationary officer since January 1893, he has rotated through most of the bureaus of the Ministry of War. He is also Jewish, a fact noted by Sandherr and his deputy Colonel Fabre, both openly antisemitic. They communicate their unsupported suspicions to General Mercier, the Minister of War in the Charles Dupuy Cabinet.
October 15 : After consulting reputable handwriting experts, but still lacking incriminating evidence, General Mercier along with the heads of the General Staff, General de Boisdeffre and his deputy in charge of Intelligence, General Gonse, are now convinced that Dreyfus has been privy to the information leaked to the Germans. In order to obtain an irrefutable handwriting sample, Commandant du Paty de Clam, placed in charge of the investigation, calls Dreyfus and feigns to dictate him a letter based on the wording of the "bordereau." Since the two documents appear to match, Dreyfus is accused of spying and arrested, despite his protestations of innocence. He is sent immediately to the Cherche-Midi military prison.
October 31 : Through a leak from the Headquarters, Edouard Drumont, the publisher of the anti-Semitic paper La Libre Parole, learns of Captain Dreyfus's indictment. The evening issue of Le Soir publicly identifies him, followed the next day by La Libre Parole, which starts a virulent campaign against the Jewish officer.
November 3 : Major d'Ormescheville starts the judicial investigation of the case. His final report, Dec. 3, 1894, recommends a Court-martial.
December 19-22 :During the Dreyfus Court-martial, held in closed session, the judges still hesitate over the evidence, including a ludicrous demonstration from the handwriting expert Bertillon. Obeying orders from General Mercier, Major Henry gives the judges an incriminating file which contains a letter dated May 1894 from the German Military Attaché mentioning "this scoundrel of D..." However, in the name of national security, Dreyfus' defense lawyer Edgar Demange, a civilian, is not made aware of this "dossier secret".
The Military Court is now persuaded by the evidence and thus unanimously pronounces Dreyfus guilty of high treason. Professing his innocence, he is nevertheless condemned to perpetual deportation and military degradation.
December 31 : Dreyfus' petition for appeal is rejected.
July 20 : Infantry Major Ferdinand Walsin-Esterhazy who, through occasional contacts with the General Staff, was exposed to classified French information, offers his services to the German Military Attaché, Lieutenant-Colonel von Schwartzkoppen, promising to pass on military secrets.
September 26 : The French Intelligence Services intercept a message (from Esterhazy, but not signed), received Sept 1, 1894 by Schwartzkoppen.
From the nature of the leaks in this memorandum -- the "bordereau,"-- they conclude that the spy must be an artillery officer and a member of the General Staff. In addition, the traitor may have been in contact with different bureaus as an intern.
October 6 : After a brief inquiry, only half a dozen officers seem to match the description, including Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an artillery officer on the General Staff. He is from Alsace, a French province under German rule since the Franco-Prussian war (1870-1871), and some members of his wealthy family still reside there. As a probationary officer since January 1893, he has rotated through most of the bureaus of the Ministry of War. He is also Jewish, a fact noted by Sandherr and his deputy Colonel Fabre, both openly antisemitic. They communicate their unsupported suspicions to General Mercier, the Minister of War in the Charles Dupuy Cabinet.
October 15 : After consulting reputable handwriting experts, but still lacking incriminating evidence, General Mercier along with the heads of the General Staff, General de Boisdeffre and his deputy in charge of Intelligence, General Gonse, are now convinced that Dreyfus has been privy to the information leaked to the Germans. In order to obtain an irrefutable handwriting sample, Commandant du Paty de Clam, placed in charge of the investigation, calls Dreyfus and feigns to dictate him a letter based on the wording of the "bordereau." Since the two documents appear to match, Dreyfus is accused of spying and arrested, despite his protestations of innocence. He is sent immediately to the Cherche-Midi military prison.
October 31 : Through a leak from the Headquarters, Edouard Drumont, the publisher of the anti-Semitic paper La Libre Parole, learns of Captain Dreyfus's indictment. The evening issue of Le Soir publicly identifies him, followed the next day by La Libre Parole, which starts a virulent campaign against the Jewish officer.
November 3 : Major d'Ormescheville starts the judicial investigation of the case. His final report, Dec. 3, 1894, recommends a Court-martial.
December 19-22 :During the Dreyfus Court-martial, held in closed session, the judges still hesitate over the evidence, including a ludicrous demonstration from the handwriting expert Bertillon. Obeying orders from General Mercier, Major Henry gives the judges an incriminating file which contains a letter dated May 1894 from the German Military Attaché mentioning "this scoundrel of D..." However, in the name of national security, Dreyfus' defense lawyer Edgar Demange, a civilian, is not made aware of this "dossier secret".
The Military Court is now persuaded by the evidence and thus unanimously pronounces Dreyfus guilty of high treason. Professing his innocence, he is nevertheless condemned to perpetual deportation and military degradation.
December 31 : Dreyfus' petition for appeal is rejected.
