An Officer and a Spy

Captain Alfred Dreyfus is found guilty of high treason and sentenced to exile on Devil's Island. The verdict resonates across France, partly because Dreyfus is Jewish and seen as a symbol of national betrayal. His exile marks the start of a long, polarizing controversy.

A year after the conviction, Georges Picquart is appointed head of the secret service. He suspects the trial was hurried and biased against Dreyfus due to his Jewish background, and resolves to investigate the evidence. His skepticism sets the prosecution on the defensive.

Picquart uncovers that the bordereau accusing Dreyfus was not written by him. He concludes the real spy is Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, challenging the army's narrative. The discovery casts doubt on Dreyfus' guilt and deepens the controversy.

Picquart attempts to reopen the trial and arrest Esterhazy, but his superiors resist, fearing a scandal and army corruption. As a result, he is removed from his post and sent away on a distant mission. The case appears to be closed to outside scrutiny for the moment.

Picquart returns to inform his ally, lawyer Louis Leblois, about the truth he has uncovered. Together with other supporters, they organize a committee to rehabilitate Dreyfus, gathering allies among Parliament members and intellectuals. The effort marks a pivot toward open advocacy for Dreyfus' innocence.

Picquart's findings mobilize a broader circle of supporters, including Fernand Labori, Parliament members, and Émile Zola. The network begins drafting public pressure and opinion in favor of reopening the case. Zola's eventual intervention becomes a watershed moment in the affair.

Picquart's insubordination leads to his arrest, illustrating the government's willingness to suppress dissent. On the same day, Zola publishes J'accuse in L'Aurore, detailing irregularities in the trial and naming those involved. The two events crystallize the conflict between progressive reformers and the state.

Zola is tried for defamation and sentenced to a year in prison, reflecting a government crackdown on dissent. France becomes deeply split between those who defend Dreyfus and those who cling to the flawed verdict. Pro-Dreyfus intellectuals face public hostility as the affair intensifies.

Dreyfus is repatriated to face a second trial in Rennes, spurred by new depositions that challenge the initial verdict. Lieutenant Colonel Hubert Henry, who testified against Dreyfus, later dies after acknowledging his perjury, raising suspicions of corruption and fear within the military.

During the Rennes proceedings, Labori is wounded in an assassination attempt and cannot defend Dreyfus. Dreyfus is sentenced again, though the severity is tempered by extenuating circumstances. The case moves toward a political resolution rather than a pure judicial reversal.

In the wake of the turmoil, a pardon is granted for Dreyfus, easing his personal punishment. The rehabilitation remains incomplete, as questions about the years of unjust service linger. Public opinion continues to divide, and the affair drags on through negotiations and politics.

Seven years after the Rennes episode, Dreyfus is fully acquitted and reintegrated into the army. The resolution vindicates him in the eyes of many, though the scars of the affair linger. Picquart's own reputation benefits from the eventual correction of the record.

In 1907, Picquart is appointed Minister of War, a testament to the rehabilitation of those who exposed the miscarriage of justice. Dreyfus, however, protests because the years he served unjustly have not been recognized with proper rank. The political climate shifts, leaving them with a tense but respectful parting.

Despite their shared history, Picquart and Dreyfus part ways, their relationship defined by respect even as they never meet again. The case closes with a tempered sense of justice and the distance created by years of struggle. The affair remains a touchstone of political courage and prejudice in France.