Read Vichy France Online

Authors: Robert O. Paxton

Tags: #Nonfiction

Vichy France (22 page)

52
DGFP
, Series D, vol. XI, no. 149, pp. 245–59.

53
German Foreign Office interpreter Paul Schmidt’s version of the Montoire talks is printed in
DGFP
, Series D, XI, nos. 212, 227, pp. 354 ff, 385 ff.

54
Baudouin,
Neuf mois
, 379 ff., repeated the claim made at his trial that he had resigned in protest on October 29. One must observe, however, that Baudouin remained Secrétaire d’état à la présidence du conseil, with the rank of minister, even after the public announcement that the cabinet had unanimously approved the Montoire policy at its October 26 meeting.

55
Abetz (Paris) 1044 of 30 October 1940 (T-120/121/120100–1), and Pétain letter to Scapini, 18 December 1940 (T-77/OKW-999/5, 632, 934). The letter was actually signed by Baudouin as secretary to the cabinet council.

56
Laval’s Matignon Declaration of 31 October 1940 is published in Jean Thouvenin,
Avec Pétain
(Paris, 1940), 33; Pétain’s speech of 31 October 1940 is published in
ibid.
, 30.

57
Abetz (Paris) 1059 of 31 October 1940 (T-120/121/120111–12); German minutes of the Laval-Goering talks of 9 November 1940, the Laval-Hanesse conversation of 3 December 1940, and Caziot’s and Bouthillier’s remarks in a letter from Dr. Karl Heinz Gerstner to Roland Krug von Nidda, 6 November 1940, are all to be found in Pariser Botschaft: Geheime Akten der Politischen Registratur, Binder, 98–101, “Beziehungen Frankreichs zu Deutschland,” microfilmed as T-120/3485H. The talk with Flandin of 19 November 1940 is found in Sicherheitsdienst, Abteilung Deutschland, Referat D11, “Akten betreffend Frankreich,” Band 1, microfilmed as T-120/686.

58
Ritter (Berlin) 1777 to Abetz, 4 November 1940 (T-120/3485H/E019439). This is a reply to Abetz’ account of his lunch with Laval on October 31, cited in footnote 57.

59
Doyen to Stülpnagel, Nr. 8517/EM, 27 November 1940 (T-120/3699/E036200). This whole file (Pariser Botschaft, Geheim-Akten der Politischen Registratur, Ordner 123, “Pol. 3, no. 1. Französische Regierung, Ministerien, Zusammensetzung der Kabinette. Ubersiedlung nach Versailles—21. Juni 1940–30. Dezember 1940”) contains mostly the negotiations on moving to Paris that were renewed on 30 October. For occupation costs see “Mitteilungen über die Arbeiten der WaKo,” no. 129, 7 Dec. 1940 (T-120/368/207375–77),
Ministère public c/Bouthillier
, fascicule 2, 74 ff, and Bouthillier,
Le Drame de l’armistice
, II,
Finances sous la contrainte
(Paris, 1951).

60
T-120/368/207378–79, 207384, 207435–37.

61
Doyen to Stülpnagel, Nr. 8517/EM, 27 November 1940 (T-120/3699/E036200), and the rest of the same file: Pariser Botschaft. Geheim-Akten der politischen Registratur, Ordner 123, “Pol. 3, no. 1. Französische Regierung, Ministerien, Zusammensetzung der Kabinette. Ubersiedlung nach Versailles—21. Juni 1940–30. Dezember 1940.” See also
DFCAA
, II. United States and Swiss objections to moving the foreign embassies into the Occupied Zone may be found in U.S. Dept. of State Serial Files 740.0011 Eur War 1939/6827 and 851.0/181. Pétain’s personal explanation to Robert Murphy on December 9 is published in
FRUS
1940, II, 414.

62
DGFP
, Series D, XI, no. 246, pp. 411–12. OKW planners were even more emphatic on this point. North Africa “could only be defended by French troops,” General Warlimont wrote on December 3 (T-78-OKW-117).

63
Cf. the Devinat mission to Wiesbaden in July, p. 66.

64
Laval told General Warlimont on December 10, 1940, that he had told Pétain that France “did not have to concern herself with the Cameroons.”
DFCAA
, V, 456, and T-78/OKW-132/5,508,978 ff.

65
See T-120/121/passim and T-120/365/206504, 206597–98 for alarmist Spanish reports about French North Africa. On the general question of the French-Spanish-German triangle, see Donald S. Detwiler,
Hitler, Franco, und Gibraltar: Die Frage des spanischen Eintritts in den Zweiten Weltkrieg
(Wiesbaden, 1962).

66
T-120/365/206541–43, 206552–53; T-120/831/280465. Laval protested strongly to Schleier, on 16 November 1940, against the 150,000 Spanish troops on the border of French Morocco and warned that they could have a “disastrous” effect on the native population.

67
The Halder Diaries, 24 June 1940.

68
The December 10 conversations may be consulted in
DFCAA
, V, 446–62, or T-78/OKW-132/5,508,978 ff. The military aspects of German vs. Italian policy in the Mediterranean are more fully explored in Robert O. Paxton,
Parades and Politics at Vichy
, (Princeton, 1966).

69
T-120/315/206541–206552; T-120/368/207878–79; 2069–19; Baudouin,
Neuf mois
, 233–361. For rubber, T-120/1680H
passim.

70
For U.S. objections, see U.S. Dept. of State Serial File 851.00/2121.

71
For General Warlimont’s views, see Abteilung Landesverteidigung Nr. 33 388/40 g.K. chefs. Abt. L (1), “Beurteilung der Lage im Mittelseeraum und in Afrika im Hinblick auf die Zusammenarbeit mit Frankreich,” 3 December 1940 (T-77/OKW-117). For Abetz, T-77/OKW-132.

72
Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich, Der Chef des Kommandostabes, Chef. Nr. 113, Paris, 31 October 1940 (T-78/OKW-132). Huntziger’s requests for releasing more arms and men under the armistice are also here. The phrase “Il faut chasser les anglais” is in French in the German original—almost certainly General Huntziger’s exact words.

73
This was Laval’s account to General Warlimont on November 29, at any rate. See OKW/132.

74
The November 29 talks between the French service chiefs and General Walther Warlimont of the Wehrmachtführungsstab are recorded in OKW/132. No French text appears to have survived. See DFCAA, V, 447 n. The only French participant to leave memoirs, Gen. Stehlin,
Témoignage pour l’histoire
(Paris, 1964), 284–85, says he wasn’t even at this meeting, which conflicts with the German minutes.

75
Abetz (Paris) 1361 to Ribbentrop, 1 December 1940 (T-120/121/120211-13).

76
DFCCA
, V, 445;
FRUS
, 1940, II, 414.

77
DFCAA
, V, 445. Present were Laval, Huntziger, Darlan, Bergeret, Bouthillier, Belin, and Régnier. German minutes of the 10 December meeting are published in
DFCAA
, V, 446–62, and microfilmed in T-78/OKW-132.

78
Chef Abt. Landesverteidigung Nr. 001132/40 g.K., 12 December 1940 (T-78/OKW-132).

79
U.S. Dept. of State Serial File 851.00/2085, 6 August 1940, contradicts Baudouin,
Neuf mois
, 232, on who opposed and supported a declaration of war against Britain on July 4. Article 9 of Constitutional Act No. 2 of 11 July 1940 explicitly denies to Pétain the power to declare war without the assent of the National Assembly.

80
U.S. Dept. of State Serial File 740.00. Eur War 1939/1674;
FRUS
, 1940, II, p. 382.

81
Professor Rougier’s memoirs became almost an industry. See
Les Accords Pétain-Churchill
(Montréal, 1945, and subsequent editions to 1954). I am indebted to Mr. F. W. Deakin, former warden of Saint Antony’s College, Oxford, for assistance on this problem.

82
The text of the note and Freeman Matthews’ account of its delivery (
FRUS
, 1940, II, 432–36) are to be preferred over Jacques Chevalier’s account in
Procès Pétain
, 694 ff, repeated in his own and other trials and in later works such as Georges Blond,
Pétain
(1966).

83
Schleier (Paris) 1157 and 1216 to Ribbentrop, 11 Nov. and 16 Nov. 1940 (T-120/587/243349–52, 243357–59).

84
For shipping reports, see T-120/368/206915–16, 207331. W. N. Medlicott,
The Economic Blockade
, 3 vol. (London, 1952–59). W. L. Langer,
Our Vichy Gamble
(New York, 1947).

85
Pétain quoted by Robert Murphy (Vichy), No. 227 to Washington, 7 August 1940 (
FRUS
, 1940, II, 380). Even after the Liberation, Yves Bouthillier wrote of the “blind egoism” and “implacable fanaticism” of Britain for continuing the war.
Le Drame de l’armistice
, I, 164, II, 451.

86
General Doyen’s remark is in “Enseignement de dix mois à Wiesbaden,” written as he left his post on 16 July 1941.
DFCAA
IV, 650. Laval-Murphy conversation, 9 December 1940,
FRUS
, 1940, II, 414.

87
FRUS
, 1940, II, 394–99; 403–11; T-120/587/243357–59.

88
FRUS
, 1940, II, 418;
DGPF
, Series D, XI, no. 645, pp. 1077–78. Contradictory statements to German and American representatives were uncommon with Pétain, who played no “double game.”

89
FRUS
, 1940, II, 418; U.S. Dept. of State Serial File 740.01 Eur. War 1939/8369.

90
Yves Bouthillier,
Le Drame de Vichy
, 1,
Face à l’ennemi, face à l’allié
(Paris, 1950), 10, 260, 283. In April 1941, however, Bouthillier “deplored” the events of December 13 and told Abetz that he wanted closer cooperation with Germany. (T-120/121/149248). Marcel Peyrouton,
Du service public à la prison commune, Souvenirs
(Paris, 1950), 183;
Le Procès Flandin
(Paris, 1946), 175.

91
Pierre Cathala,
Face aux réalités, Les finances françaises sous l’occupation
(Paris, 1948), 115.

92
At the very climax of the post-Montoire negotiations, Hitler approved the draft plan “Attila” on 10 December 1940 for the speedy occupation of the rest of France in case General Weygand or other colonial leaders resorted to “dissidence.” (T-77/OKW-117).

93
The Halder Diaries, 16 January 1941.

94
General Weygand,
Mémoires
, III,
Rappelé au service
(Paris, 1950), 462–63. Admiral d’Harcourt said approximately the same thing to an American representative in Morocco,
FRUS
, 1940, II, 627.

95
See General Warlimont’s preliminary working paper of 2 November 1940 (T-77/OKW-117) and Hitler’s General Order No. 18 of 12 November 1940 (T-77/OKW-141). German minutes of the Laval-Goering conversation of 9 November 1940 are on microfilm as T-120/3485H/EO19424 ff.

96
U.S. Dept. of State Serial File 741.51/430.

97
(T-120/587/24335709) Abetz (Paris) 1216 to Berlin, 16 November 1940, and in November 29 talks. See also
DGPF
, X, no. 234, p. 401.

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