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Wedding in Germany
Fallingbostel, May 1969
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Dear children, even though your stomachs
are full, you can stand a little speech.
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Thirty years ago,
when your mother and I married,
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the sky was blue, but dark clouds
were already looming on the horizon:
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the clouds of World War Two.
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All of us gathered here today
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hope with all our hearts
that you be spared such suffering.
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Clermont-Ferrand: 134,000 residents
in the Puy-de-Dôme region.
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The capital of Auvergne is 240 miles
from Paris and 37 miles from Vichy,
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which was the capital of France
from 1940 to 1944.
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Gergovie, a nearby Gallic town,
used to be
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the fortified town of Vercingétorix,
conquered by Julius Caesar.
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A father tells his children
about a more recent defeat.
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In 1939, I was 27 years old.
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I was the father of a large family,
so I hadn't been sent to the front.
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The front was the Maginot Line.
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I'd been sent to Montferrand,
near Clermont,
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and my wife's dairywoman, Mrs Michel,
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had criticised me
for not going to the front.
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So, after the débâcle,
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I told her that there was no point
in me going to the front,
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since the front came to me.
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Was there anything other than courage
in the Resistance?
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Of course. But the two emotions
I experienced the most frequently
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were sorrow and pity.
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The Colonel was from Action Française
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The Major was a moderate,
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The Captain was all for the diocese,
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The Lieutenant
couldn't stand the church.
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THE SORROW
The adjutant was a fervent extremist
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AND THE PITY
The sergeant, a convinced socialist
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CHRONICLE OF A FRENCH CITY
The corporal, inscribed on all the lists
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UNDER THE OCCUPATION
And the private at the bookie's!
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All these men made
excellent Frenchmen.
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Excellent soldiers who march in time.
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Thinking that the Republic
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is still the best thing going.
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Now most of these strapping lads
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A FILM BY MARCEL OPHULS
don't share the same political views.
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But they all agree,
no matter what their view
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Part 1: THE COLLAPSE
is just to be left in bloody peace!
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Two brothers, both local farmers,
live a few miles from Clermont.
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They have many memories
of German occupation.
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Is that your village?
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That's where I was born.
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I was born near that church there,
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and later I lived
on the farm facing the school.
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You can't help but love your country.
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Did you think about it in Buchenwald?
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Not much.
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- You didn't?
- No.
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- What did you think about?
- Surviving. That's it.
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That's mainly what I thought about.
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But I'm talking about me,
about how I saw things.
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I'm not talking about those who...
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There were some people who cried.
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When I saw them cry,
I knew that they would never make it.
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No way.
You had to think about yourself first,
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and think about others after.
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This politician also has
reasons to remember.
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For me, it was an experience
that I will never forget.
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This experience may have had
a few secondary effects,
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but I don't believe it has
affected my attitude or behaviour.
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Has it not made you feel bitter
towards certain French people?
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No, I wouldn't say that.
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It showed me that there are
certain tendencies and habits,
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which, when they are fired,
fed, or stimulated,
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crop up like weeds, and so
we must always be on the defence.
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We have to protect our youth
from this type of propaganda.
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We have to talk to them about it
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more than we talked about it
a generation or two ago.
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The manager of the Philips company
also has reasons to remember.
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As I was saying, his friends would
ask me why I joined the Resistance.
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Why? Because going into a restaurant
and seeing Germans at a table,
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and being told there's only four steaks
left for the Germans and none for us
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was a little frustrating,
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seeing as that steak
came from our cows in Auvergne.
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So it was our right to eat it
before giving it away.
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That's my first reason.
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My second reason was that the Germans
were forever imposing curfews.
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It was, after all, a Nazi regime,
a totalitarian regime,
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no matter how you look at it.
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It was worth fighting for,
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it was even worth dying for,
rather than to live as slaves.
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Hence, the Resistance.
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Lasting peace is what we need.
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There's nothing more senseless
than fighting.
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That's what I think.
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- Depends on what you're fighting for.
- Do you think they really knew?
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- They didn't know?
- I doubt it.
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There are a few fanatics who know why.
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- Did you know why?
- Yes, I did.
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- But you weren't a fanatic?
- No, but...
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But when I went off to war in 1940...
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I left in 1939, on September 2,
and I was sent to Modane.
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What could I have clone?
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I knew nothing. I was going
to kill guys I'd never seen before,
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who had never harmed me.
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Later, they did harm us when they
arrived in France. They messed us up.
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Even in moments of calm,
the soldiers are ready to fight.
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Faced with the enemy,
they have the winning qualities of
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patience, courage,
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vigilance, determination,
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and confidence.
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In right-thinking circles,
in high society in Paris,
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they sympathised with our soldiers,
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whose troubles were unfortunately
nothing compared to what came later.
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And consequently, during this period,
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people sought to distract them,
to entertain them,
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to relieve them from the boredom
of the Maginot Line,
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where time passed at a snail's pace.
It must've been painfully boring.
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So the right-thinking women
of the Parisian bourgeoisie
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decided to form a committee
to entertain our valiant soldiers,
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to provide them
with a more pleasant view.
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The idea was to plant rosebushes
on the Maginot Line,
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to make it look prettier,
to create a nicer atmosphere.
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And there were people who donated
money towards these rosebushes,
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so that our soldiers didn't have
to look at the horrid, concrete walls,
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and to give them a flowery
environment in which to live.
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It's pathetic when you think
about the awful things that came later.
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The infantry is advancing
at great intervals.
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In Oisemont, the enemy has set fire
to the tanks of an oil factory.
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It took two weeks in Poland.
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We felt it would be
just as quick in France,
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as we were anxious to go home.
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And,indeed,
we took France in just one month.
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...and onwards it goes.
Next stop: Paris.
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Naturally,
we attacked on several occasions,
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but the hardest time was in Oing,
on the Belgian border.
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The Belgian blockhaus weren't ready,
but we had to take position in them.
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The Germans arrived equipped with tanks.
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All that we had were machine guns.
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They proceeded to kill everyone inside,
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because it made such an easy target.
There were no battlements.
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They hadn't even
put up reinforced doors.
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I'm telling you, we walked...
We withdrew,
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and we must have walked
at least 20 miles,
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without running across any troops.
Not one single troop.
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Nothing, nothing, nothing.
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First of all, I'd like to emphasise
the fact that the German staff
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was not expecting to achieve
such a quick, resounding success.
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We soldiers, unlike Hitler,
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were convinced that we were facing
the same adversary as in 1914-1918,
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a determined, brave adversary,
prepared to fight to the bitter end.
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Unfortunately, I must admit
that Hitler was right in this case.
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He was always saying
how the French were incapable
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of repeating their performance
in World War I,
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and he never missed an opportunity
to add to this statement
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a few disagreeable and derisory
remarks or comments
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on the general emotional
and moral state of France.
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GERMAN NEW S
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Near Noyon, General Stummel,
taking the vanguard with his troops,
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with his adjutant,
took several prisoners.
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It began with two.
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Later, many others surrendered.
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The prisoners come from every nation
and every walk of life.
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So-called defenders of the great nation.
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In fact, a shame for the white race.
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These are the black brothers
of the French.
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In the words of Chamberlain,
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"We, together with our allies,
are the guardians of civilisation."
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"Together we fight medieval barbarism."
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These are the guardians of civilisation.
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These are the barbarians.
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This is the war
of the Franco-English plutocrats.
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They began this war rashly without
taking any heed of the consequences,
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to fight for the English lords,
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not only until the last Frenchman,
but until the last French house.
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Mrs Tausend, you stayed in Germany.
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Did you read the papers?
Did you watch the German news?
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Yes, we followed the events closely.
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Naturally, we were a bit frightened.
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But the news of victory made us happy.
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These cars are stopped
for a lack of petrol.
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The Jewish warmongers
and Parisian plutocrats,
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with their suitcases full of gold
and precious stones, have fled.
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This shortage of petrol
put a crimp in their plans.
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The streets were hopelessly blocked.
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Yet these English-loving
traitors and deserters
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continued their journey on foot.
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These are the French people
who have been mercilessly evacuated
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and dragged along in the flood
of the routed French army.
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Soon, these people
will be able to go home.
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The German people were spared
such a trial,
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thanks to the Fuhrer
and his German soldiers.
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During that time,
there was an enormous upsurge
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of the people,
who were completely panicked, terrified.
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Fate willed that I should be given leave
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in the last few days
of the month of April.
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Consequently, I was in Paris in
early May when the Germans invaded.
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On the roads, people were going mad,
terrified by the bombings.
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With them, they brought what they could:
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children, pets, precious objects...
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Some rode on wagons, others on bicycles.
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It was a mish-mash of everything
and everyone. It was awful to see.
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It was all the more awful in that
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the Germans, in an effort to block
and ruin the roads for the soldiers,
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didn't hesitate in bombing
these columns of refugees.
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As a result,
and I can attest to this fact,
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there were bodies strewn
all over the place: men, women, horses.
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Car wrecks sprinkled the roads.
It was a scene from hell.
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And yet this wave, this flood of people,
continued to move south.
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Our impressions? We saw
destroyed villages, burned lands...
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It did have a certain effect on us.
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- And the people on the roads?
- They were fleeing the bad guys.
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What do you mean?
Weren't you the bad guys?
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At first, we were seen as the enemy
who was set to destroy the country.
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Then they began to see
that we just wanted to help,
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and that reassured them.
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The officers or the staff
were clearly out of their depth.
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Having the trains, the roads,
and all telecommunications cut off
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led to a situation in which
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any plans the soldiers had made
were suddenly completely ruined.
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00:20:04,251 --> 00:20:09,459
In addition, certain military circles
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shared the attitude of many civilians,
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and tackled the war unenthusiastically.
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After all, they were living in...
I'm not saying they were traitors.
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In any case,
there were very few traitors.
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But this attitude
of preferring Hitler to Léon Blum
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was an attitude that had become
very popular in bourgeois circles.
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And this was a circle
to which many of the soldiers belonged.
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THE GREAT BATTLE OF FRANCE
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On June 14, 1940,
the Germans occupied Paris.
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In Clermont, the papers went mad.
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Le Moniteur took a stand,
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00:21:14,042 --> 00:21:18,042
asking the people to stand up and fight,
to resist,
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00:21:18,209 --> 00:21:20,042
to remain free.
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The owner of this anti-defeatist paper,
Pierre Laval,
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00:21:24,459 --> 00:21:28,626
a deputy for Auvergne, was, at the
same time, preparing for surrender.
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The last government
of the Third Republic
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slowly moved southwards.
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Paul Reynaud wanted to keep fighting,
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00:21:37,459 --> 00:21:40,959
but Philippe Pétain was already
taking charge.
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00:21:41,126 --> 00:21:44,084
In Briare,
Winston Churchill and Anthony Eden
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00:21:44,251 --> 00:21:47,209
met with their allies
for the last time.
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I've always felt
that Reynaud wanted to continue,
237
00:21:52,584 --> 00:21:54,667
that he remained calm and firm.
238
00:21:54,667 --> 00:21:58,834
Everyone was
in a very difficult position then.
239
00:21:58,834 --> 00:22:04,042
I also believe, and this is something
he told both Churchill and me,
240
00:22:04,042 --> 00:22:10,292
that he wasn't very happy having
Pétain as a part of his government.
241
00:22:11,334 --> 00:22:15,334
- He 'd foreseen the difficulties?
- Yes, already in Briare.
242
00:22:15,501 --> 00:22:21,751
Now, I was a young soldier
in World War I,
243
00:22:21,917 --> 00:22:26,667
and for me, Pétain
was the hero of Verdun.
244
00:22:26,959 --> 00:22:32,167
But his character had changed.
That's to be expected with age.
245
00:22:32,626 --> 00:22:37,209
I'm sure he was opposed to the idea
of your cities being destroyed,
246
00:22:37,376 --> 00:22:40,001
because he spoke of it at dinner,
247
00:22:40,167 --> 00:22:43,626
saying, "It's awful seeing
our lovely cities destroyed."
248
00:22:43,792 --> 00:22:46,584
and I had to answer,
“Yes, I understand.
249
00:22:46,751 --> 00:22:53,001
"It's hard for an Englishman to say
this, but there are worse things
250
00:22:53,001 --> 00:22:55,084
"than the destruction of cities."
251
00:22:55,251 --> 00:22:57,584
But I don't think he was convinced.
252
00:23:08,626 --> 00:23:11,751
We flew over France
at a very low altitude.
253
00:23:11,917 --> 00:23:13,667
- Hedgehopping?
- Yes.
254
00:23:13,834 --> 00:23:18,834
In June, there's nothing quite like
the Norman and Breton countryside.
255
00:23:19,042 --> 00:23:24,001
And I remember,
as if it only happened yesterday,
256
00:23:24,251 --> 00:23:29,459
I remember thinking it was lovely,
but would I ever see it again?
257
00:23:29,626 --> 00:23:32,834
And it seemed rather unlikely
that I would.
258
00:23:33,459 --> 00:23:38,834
Then the political climate changed
and became unbearable in Bordeaux.
259
00:23:39,876 --> 00:23:43,001
Suddenly, treason was everywhere.
260
00:23:43,001 --> 00:23:46,126
There was a will to surrender,
261
00:23:46,126 --> 00:23:51,334
and a desire to get along
with the victors at any price.
262
00:23:51,501 --> 00:23:58,459
Anglophobia, ever-present in France,
resurfaced with new vigour,
263
00:23:58,626 --> 00:24:03,542
and all this went hand in hand
with a horrible kind of cynicism.
264
00:24:04,167 --> 00:24:09,917
The military leaders, the ones who had
messed up, weren't even mentioned.
265
00:24:10,084 --> 00:24:15,292
Instead, people blamed
absolutely everything on Léon Blum,
266
00:24:15,292 --> 00:24:18,417
the Front Populaire and so forth.
267
00:24:18,584 --> 00:24:25,334
And so we consoled ourselves
for the downfall of our nation
268
00:24:25,501 --> 00:24:30,751
by getting petty revenge
in matters of internal affairs,
269
00:24:30,917 --> 00:24:35,084
a trend which, as you know,
continued long afterwards.
270
00:24:37,167 --> 00:24:40,126
On June 16,
the government met in Bordeaux.
271
00:24:40,292 --> 00:24:46,084
Paul Reynaud was defeated by
the deputies who refused to leave France
272
00:24:46,501 --> 00:24:50,001
and Marshal Pétain became
the head of government.
273
00:24:56,959 --> 00:25:02,167
Adolf Hitler's elite SS troops
have invaded Vichy.
274
00:25:19,584 --> 00:25:21,792
I felt terribly humiliated,
275
00:25:21,959 --> 00:25:26,126
as I had been sent on a mission
on an English motorcycle
276
00:25:27,167 --> 00:25:32,376
and was heading to Paris, when I saw
the Germans going the other way.
277
00:25:33,042 --> 00:25:35,292
Now, being rather absent-minded,
278
00:25:35,501 --> 00:25:39,667
I saw there were some people
following these German troops,
279
00:25:39,667 --> 00:25:42,792
and assumed it was the English.
280
00:25:42,959 --> 00:25:47,834
So they were going one way,
and I was going the other.
281
00:25:48,001 --> 00:25:50,084
I saw the swastikas on their helmets,
282
00:25:50,084 --> 00:25:53,209
and I thought I should go no further.
283
00:26:05,334 --> 00:26:07,209
But no one asked me to stop.
284
00:26:07,376 --> 00:26:10,917
Everyone was too busy
going their own way.
285
00:26:11,084 --> 00:26:13,251
If I didn't like it, tough.
286
00:26:16,126 --> 00:26:19,251
The Resistance in Clermont
was quickly crushed.
287
00:26:21,209 --> 00:26:24,251
But the struggle,
albeit subdued, continued.
288
00:26:24,459 --> 00:26:28,459
Hitler's SS division
conquered Clermont-Ferrand.
289
00:26:28,626 --> 00:26:31,751
German troops occupied
the city for three days.
290
00:26:32,792 --> 00:26:37,626
Zepp Dietrich, division commander,
declared victory on the Place de Jaude,
291
00:26:37,792 --> 00:26:41,417
as his troops polished their boots
in front of the locals,
292
00:26:41,584 --> 00:26:44,084
before heading off to new victories.
293
00:26:44,251 --> 00:26:49,292
The Germans didn't return
to Clermont until November 1942.
294
00:26:49,459 --> 00:26:53,459
Our aim now is to take
the arms depot in Etienne.
295
00:26:54,667 --> 00:26:58,667
An entire infantry regiment has
simply surrendered.
296
00:26:58,834 --> 00:27:02,834
At first, I did the same as everyone.
I hadn't understood.
297
00:27:04,209 --> 00:27:05,959
On the morning of June 24,
298
00:27:06,126 --> 00:27:12,376
the lieutenant declared that Marshal
Pétain had requested an armistice.
299
00:27:12,542 --> 00:27:18,167
I knew what he meant by armistice,
but I wasn't sure about "Marshal."
300
00:27:18,626 --> 00:27:23,459
I was never particularly
in favour of Pétain's regime.
301
00:27:23,834 --> 00:27:28,667
Nonetheless,
like the other 40 million Frenchmen
302
00:27:28,834 --> 00:27:31,126
who experienced that same moment,
303
00:27:32,167 --> 00:27:37,376
when I saw the rout, when I saw
that the Germans were in Biarritz,
304
00:27:37,376 --> 00:27:41,542
and that France had been
completely invaded,
305
00:27:41,542 --> 00:27:43,626
I thought, like everyone else,
306
00:27:43,626 --> 00:27:47,792
"Will anyone be able
to end this massacre?"
307
00:27:47,959 --> 00:27:53,542
People of France, as requested
by the President of the Republic,
308
00:27:53,917 --> 00:27:59,917
I shall henceforth be the leader
of the French government.
309
00:28:00,292 --> 00:28:04,209
Convinced of the affection
of our admirable army,
310
00:28:04,459 --> 00:28:09,501
whose heroism stands as testimony
to our long military tradition
311
00:28:09,667 --> 00:28:13,626
as they fight an enemy
which outnumbers them,
312
00:28:13,834 --> 00:28:16,751
convinced that our army's resistance
313
00:28:16,959 --> 00:28:20,792
has fulfilled our duty
towards our allies,
314
00:28:21,126 --> 00:28:26,167
convinced of the support
pledged by the former soldiers I led,
315
00:28:26,334 --> 00:28:29,751
convinced of the French people's
faith in me,
316
00:28:29,917 --> 00:28:33,459
I give France the gift of myself,
317
00:28:33,626 --> 00:28:35,876
to ease its troubles.
318
00:28:36,751 --> 00:28:41,417
In these difficult times,
I think of the poor refugees,
319
00:28:41,584 --> 00:28:44,917
who, in the depths of despair,
trudge across our roads.
320
00:28:45,084 --> 00:28:49,709
I extend my compassion
and concern for them.
321
00:28:50,042 --> 00:28:55,917
My heart is heavy as I tell you today
that the fight must end.
322
00:28:56,376 --> 00:28:59,501
Last night, I spoke with our adversary
323
00:28:59,667 --> 00:29:04,709
and asked if they were prepared
to help me, between soldiers,
324
00:29:04,876 --> 00:29:07,834
after the fight, with honour intact,
325
00:29:08,001 --> 00:29:11,126
to find a way to end the hostilities.
326
00:29:13,917 --> 00:29:17,209
From the Fuhrer headquarters
a historical piece of news:
327
00:29:17,376 --> 00:29:22,292
The prime minister of the new
French government, Marshal Pétain,
328
00:29:22,459 --> 00:29:25,542
has declared,
in a broadcast to the French people,
329
00:29:25,709 --> 00:29:28,834
that France should lay down its arms.
330
00:30:17,334 --> 00:30:19,876
Of course, I was happy to hear we'd won.
331
00:30:21,959 --> 00:30:29,126
The defeat gave me the same feeling
I would get when I played rugby.
332
00:30:30,292 --> 00:30:34,459
I don't like losing,
especially when it's 60 to O.
333
00:30:34,459 --> 00:30:36,542
I hate drawn-out defeats.
334
00:30:36,709 --> 00:30:38,459
This stone is a reminder
335
00:30:38,626 --> 00:30:43,376
of the humiliation of Germany
on November 11, 1918.
336
00:30:48,667 --> 00:30:50,876
Is it true
337
00:30:51,042 --> 00:30:56,167
that France had given England
its word of honour
338
00:30:56,334 --> 00:30:59,626
that it wouldn't agree
to a separate truce?
339
00:31:01,542 --> 00:31:05,709
I think we... That was before
I was a member of government.
340
00:31:05,709 --> 00:31:08,834
I think we had reached an agreement
341
00:31:09,876 --> 00:31:13,001
whereby neither party
would cease fighting.
342
00:31:13,167 --> 00:31:15,959
- Without the other party's consent.
- Right.
343
00:31:16,126 --> 00:31:19,251
But we didn't discuss that at all
344
00:31:19,251 --> 00:31:22,376
when Churchill and I were there,
345
00:31:22,376 --> 00:31:26,542
because we accepted
the position France had taken.
346
00:31:26,709 --> 00:31:31,584
- In Briare, he said...
- That he'd accept an armistice?
347
00:31:31,751 --> 00:31:36,667
No, he said we accepted the fact
that you may not be able to go on.
348
00:31:36,834 --> 00:31:39,876
Nothing was said about an armistice.
349
00:31:40,084 --> 00:31:45,126
It's clear that between a ceasefire and
an armistice, there's a big difference.
350
00:31:45,292 --> 00:31:46,334
Exactly.
351
00:31:46,334 --> 00:31:52,584
He simply said, "We understand
that you cannot go on any longer."
352
00:31:53,626 --> 00:31:55,709
That was clear.
353
00:31:55,876 --> 00:32:00,334
The question was quite simply,
"What are you going to do?"
354
00:32:00,501 --> 00:32:04,917
I even sent Churchill a short letter
after we returned from Briare,
355
00:32:05,084 --> 00:32:07,167
which has since been published,
356
00:32:07,334 --> 00:32:11,167
saying that we must make
a clear distinction.
357
00:32:11,334 --> 00:32:14,459
If the French can no longer fight,
that's one thing.
358
00:32:14,459 --> 00:32:18,626
But if they make it easy for the enemy,
that's another.
359
00:32:20,584 --> 00:32:25,751
La Madeleine. Early today in Paris,
the Fuhrer made an unexpected visit.
360
00:32:25,917 --> 00:32:30,834
During his tour of Paris,
he also visited this building.
361
00:32:57,501 --> 00:33:00,001
Place de Ia Concorde.
362
00:33:04,792 --> 00:33:07,167
The Arc de Triomphe.
363
00:33:26,209 --> 00:33:28,709
Trocadéro.
364
00:33:36,709 --> 00:33:39,584
A look at the Eiffel Tower.
365
00:33:39,917 --> 00:33:41,959
On the Fuhrer's left, Professor Speer.
366
00:33:52,376 --> 00:33:54,292
One thing we should remember
367
00:33:54,459 --> 00:33:57,417
is that when France
agreed to an armistice,
368
00:33:57,584 --> 00:33:59,917
even though we didn't want to lose,
369
00:34:00,084 --> 00:34:02,626
how many Frenchmen said,
370
00:34:02,792 --> 00:34:06,959
"It's well that ends well.
So much the better."
371
00:34:08,001 --> 00:34:12,001
As for Marshal Pétain,
he knew what he was doing in Vichy.
372
00:34:12,167 --> 00:34:16,334
In every canton and every town,
373
00:34:16,334 --> 00:34:19,459
he formed what was called
the French Legion.
374
00:34:19,626 --> 00:34:23,459
- The Legion of Companions.
- It was meant for us veterans
375
00:34:23,626 --> 00:34:25,709
who'd fought in World War I.
376
00:34:25,876 --> 00:34:29,459
Everyone, except me, went on Sundays.
377
00:34:29,876 --> 00:34:33,001
I'm the only one
who never set foot in there.
378
00:34:33,584 --> 00:34:34,917
It's true.
379
00:34:35,084 --> 00:34:40,126
They would attend the raising
of the colours on the market place
380
00:34:40,292 --> 00:34:44,459
every Sunday, wearing their hammer
and francisc. No, not hammer.
381
00:34:44,459 --> 00:34:48,626
I don't mean the hammer and sickle.
What was it called again?
382
00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:51,584
- The sword.
- Whatever.
383
00:34:51,792 --> 00:34:54,876
They'd all been given a beret.
Can you imagine?
384
00:34:55,917 --> 00:35:00,834
Of course, I never set foot there.
Not on your life.
385
00:35:01,126 --> 00:35:04,417
But when I saw what happened,
I understood.
386
00:35:04,584 --> 00:35:06,751
So suddenly, this old marshal
387
00:35:07,084 --> 00:35:12,084
suggests an armistice
with French honour intact and so forth.
388
00:35:12,334 --> 00:35:17,334
As a young Frenchman,
do you feel the defeat was justified?
389
00:35:17,501 --> 00:35:19,334
Does it not disgust you?
390
00:35:19,501 --> 00:35:24,917
No, defeat was the inevitable
consequence of French politics.
391
00:35:25,084 --> 00:35:30,292
In fact, this was the theme
propagated by the Vichy government.
392
00:35:30,792 --> 00:35:36,376
If we were defeated, they claimed,
393
00:35:36,542 --> 00:35:41,751
it was because for so many years,
we had to put up with party politics,
394
00:35:41,751 --> 00:35:44,876
which is the reason
France is in this situation today.
395
00:35:44,876 --> 00:35:48,001
How did that phrase go?
396
00:35:48,001 --> 00:35:52,167
"The parties which have
harmed us so much..."
397
00:35:52,334 --> 00:35:55,126
It was... No, that's not it.
398
00:35:55,292 --> 00:35:59,167
- Something about lies.
- The lies that harmed us.
399
00:35:59,334 --> 00:36:03,334
Right. "I hate the lies
that have harmed us so much."
400
00:36:03,626 --> 00:36:09,709
At the same time, there was
another appeal launched by de Gaulle,
401
00:36:09,876 --> 00:36:14,917
an appeal which apparently
very few people in France heard.
402
00:36:15,084 --> 00:36:18,001
I certainly didn't hear it.
403
00:36:18,209 --> 00:36:21,167
But as a pilot,
weren't you slightly tempted to...
404
00:36:21,334 --> 00:36:27,334
I imagine that a certain number of
people in the same unit as you
405
00:36:27,501 --> 00:36:30,542
chose to "continue the struggle,"
as they said.
406
00:36:30,709 --> 00:36:32,792
There weren't many who did.
407
00:36:32,792 --> 00:36:34,876
Let's get it straight.
408
00:36:34,876 --> 00:36:41,126
It's true that some people
attempted to flee to North Africa.
409
00:36:41,292 --> 00:36:45,459
Later, the situation stabilised.
Not so many fled.
410
00:36:45,917 --> 00:36:47,792
Did it ever cross your mind to flee?
411
00:36:47,959 --> 00:36:52,626
Of course.
But I didn't think about it for long.
412
00:36:53,584 --> 00:36:58,876
My father quickly made me understand
413
00:36:59,876 --> 00:37:06,626
that Marshal Pétain guaranteed
a new order, renewed honour, etc.
414
00:37:30,084 --> 00:37:34,084
The victor of Verdun guaranteed
France's honour
415
00:37:34,251 --> 00:37:37,001
and the establishment of a new order.
416
00:37:37,376 --> 00:37:42,376
This seemed not only desirable,
but necessary, to many Frenchmen.
417
00:37:42,667 --> 00:37:45,542
They respected
and had faith in the Marshal.
418
00:37:45,709 --> 00:37:50,709
In Clermont, the spirit of renewal
filled Pierre Laval's Le Moniteur.
419
00:37:50,917 --> 00:37:55,917
Editorials sought those responsible
for defeat and found them.
420
00:37:56,084 --> 00:37:57,834
"Let's be French.
421
00:37:58,001 --> 00:38:01,126
"Too much foreign influence
has led to many problems."
422
00:38:01,334 --> 00:38:04,292
On June 26, 1940,
in the magistrate's court,
423
00:38:04,459 --> 00:38:08,709
René Mons was sentenced
to three months in jail for defeatism.
424
00:38:08,876 --> 00:38:10,126
Editorial.
425
00:38:10,292 --> 00:38:15,751
We demand those responsible be tried
and an analysis of our problems ensue.
426
00:38:15,917 --> 00:38:21,334
This quickly led to xenophobia,
Anglophobia and anti-Semitism.
427
00:38:22,167 --> 00:38:25,084
Gaining French nationality
became harder.
428
00:38:25,292 --> 00:38:27,209
Vichy came out with the decree:
429
00:38:27,376 --> 00:38:30,292
"The French elite must be restored."
430
00:38:30,459 --> 00:38:32,584
On that day, July 29, 1940,
431
00:38:32,751 --> 00:38:35,542
Clermont butcher Antoine Labronne
was tried
432
00:38:35,709 --> 00:38:39,876
and given a large fine
for having sold rotting ham.
433
00:38:43,417 --> 00:38:47,959
Did you ever speak about
what the papers said back then?
434
00:38:48,126 --> 00:38:50,001
- Never.
- Never?
435
00:38:50,167 --> 00:38:52,667
We were totally cut off from the world,
436
00:38:52,834 --> 00:38:57,876
because there was one value
that we all shared,
437
00:38:58,042 --> 00:38:59,417
and that was caution.
438
00:38:59,584 --> 00:39:03,501
We didn't know what the butcher thought,
or the milkman,
439
00:39:03,667 --> 00:39:06,792
or the engineer or the intellectual.
We had no idea.
440
00:39:06,959 --> 00:39:10,667
Like everyone else,
we stayed on our guard.
441
00:39:10,834 --> 00:39:14,709
What do you think
people's main concern was back then?
442
00:39:14,876 --> 00:39:16,376
Food.
443
00:39:18,667 --> 00:39:21,042
That took up most of your time?
444
00:39:21,209 --> 00:39:24,167
Definitely.
Animals were illicitly butchered.
445
00:39:24,334 --> 00:39:27,376
One needed a bit of meat to survive.
446
00:39:27,667 --> 00:39:31,584
As you know,
the French are very good at cheating.
447
00:39:31,792 --> 00:39:35,834
One had to have a bit more bread
than the usual ration,
448
00:39:36,084 --> 00:39:40,459
or a bit more tobacco
by smiling nicely at the tobacconist.
449
00:39:40,626 --> 00:39:42,417
A bit more of everything.
450
00:39:42,584 --> 00:39:48,501
So every weekend, a regular parade
of cyclists would go for supplies.
451
00:39:48,834 --> 00:39:54,042
They had devised a system
based on tickets, on ration cards.
452
00:39:54,042 --> 00:39:56,126
Personally, I was a smoker,
453
00:39:56,126 --> 00:39:59,251
and it was awful not having cigarettes.
454
00:39:59,251 --> 00:40:01,334
It was a horrible situation.
455
00:40:01,334 --> 00:40:04,459
People would do anything, even steal.
456
00:40:04,459 --> 00:40:10,709
I got so desperate that I even rolled
artichoke leaves and smoked them.
457
00:40:10,709 --> 00:40:14,876
The children who were born
during that time,
458
00:40:14,876 --> 00:40:16,959
between 1942 and 1944,
459
00:40:16,959 --> 00:40:22,167
should have suffered from rickets,
and I say this as a doctor.
460
00:40:22,167 --> 00:40:25,292
In our family, it was ironic.
461
00:40:25,292 --> 00:40:28,417
These young ladies have a brother,
462
00:40:28,584 --> 00:40:32,417
who is 27 years old,
and was born in 1942.
463
00:40:32,584 --> 00:40:35,501
He's six foot one!
464
00:40:35,709 --> 00:40:40,334
We fed him so much to avoid rickets
that he turned into a giant.
465
00:40:40,917 --> 00:40:45,084
He's a great tennis player,
an architect, and a giant to boot.
466
00:40:45,251 --> 00:40:51,876
Are you what they call "a bourgeois"
in a large provincial town?
467
00:40:52,376 --> 00:40:56,542
If being bourgeois means
eating properly, hunting in the Sologne,
468
00:40:56,709 --> 00:41:00,417
having a hunting ground
in Sanscoin and in Sérye,
469
00:41:00,709 --> 00:41:04,417
and a son-in-law
who owns Lake Mont-Cinére,
470
00:41:04,584 --> 00:41:06,376
then I'm a bourgeois.
471
00:41:06,834 --> 00:41:10,959
When did you first begin to experience
472
00:41:11,126 --> 00:41:16,959
the consequences of the times,
in other words, persecution?
473
00:41:17,126 --> 00:41:20,501
How did you feel about that?
Did anything happen?
474
00:41:21,542 --> 00:41:23,126
Not before 1942.
475
00:41:23,626 --> 00:41:26,751
The only extraordinary event
that occurred
476
00:41:26,917 --> 00:41:30,751
is that before the children were born,
477
00:41:30,917 --> 00:41:33,001
once again,
478
00:41:34,042 --> 00:41:40,292
in September 1942,
the hunting season was re-opened.
479
00:41:41,334 --> 00:41:43,084
What an event.
480
00:41:43,417 --> 00:41:45,501
It was important to the hunters.
481
00:41:46,542 --> 00:41:51,751
Game had been untouched for two years
so there was an abundance of it.
482
00:41:51,917 --> 00:41:56,876
It was a very satisfying experience
for those who owned a gun.
483
00:42:04,251 --> 00:42:10,334
In their little nests in the backyard,
my little rabbits are so sweet.
484
00:42:10,501 --> 00:42:12,417
Until recently, I hated hutches,
485
00:42:12,584 --> 00:42:16,751
and I despised and insulted
our gentle little friends,
486
00:42:16,917 --> 00:42:19,709
now the centre of our attention.
487
00:42:19,876 --> 00:42:21,792
Just think, a rabbit!
488
00:42:21,959 --> 00:42:24,042
Firstly, it will delight the cook.
489
00:42:24,209 --> 00:42:29,042
and as its skin dries in the wind,
the whole family rejoices.
490
00:42:29,251 --> 00:42:33,126
Follow my example
and give rabbit breeding a try.
491
00:42:33,417 --> 00:42:39,292
As you can see, I love, you love,
we all love rabbits in every form!
492
00:42:39,459 --> 00:42:42,042
In reality, the French
493
00:42:42,292 --> 00:42:45,751
aren't normally
very involved in politics.
494
00:42:45,917 --> 00:42:51,126
Once in a blue moon, they decide
to take action and storm the Bastille,
495
00:42:51,126 --> 00:42:54,251
or to fight religious wars for 50 years,
496
00:42:54,251 --> 00:42:59,459
or to initiate the French Revolution,
or to set off to conquer Europe.
497
00:42:59,626 --> 00:43:04,501
But, normally speaking, they're
just as peaceable as anyone else.
498
00:43:04,667 --> 00:43:07,792
One thing is for sure:
the French, in general,
499
00:43:07,959 --> 00:43:14,084
like a peaceful regime,
a regime which has authority,
500
00:43:14,251 --> 00:43:15,959
but is preferably humane.
501
00:43:16,126 --> 00:43:20,292
In any case,
they feel the need to be protected.
502
00:43:20,292 --> 00:43:22,376
They're quite paternalistic.
503
00:43:22,542 --> 00:43:25,334
Does this explains Pétain's popularity?
504
00:43:25,501 --> 00:43:30,709
Definitely. I might add that,
as a sergeant in the French army,
505
00:43:30,876 --> 00:43:35,584
I've seen a routed army.
and it's not a pretty sight.
506
00:43:35,917 --> 00:43:42,167
There's no denying that, for some time,
Pétain was extremely popular.
507
00:43:42,167 --> 00:43:47,376
He was viewed as one of
the good old guys, perhaps a bit senile,
508
00:43:47,542 --> 00:43:50,042
but after all,
he had given himself to France.
509
00:43:50,209 --> 00:43:55,542
That was a clever way of putting it.
He gave the gift of himself.
510
00:43:55,709 --> 00:43:59,876
So everyone thought that an old guy
like him couldn't do any harm.
511
00:44:00,042 --> 00:44:03,876
He could only help France.
At his age, what harm could he do?
512
00:44:04,042 --> 00:44:11,334
These arguments, albeit feeble,
were how people justified Pétain.
513
00:44:13,334 --> 00:44:15,084
THE MARSHAL'S VISIT
514
00:44:46,042 --> 00:44:49,542
When we went
all over the world,
515
00:44:49,709 --> 00:44:52,542
we were dying to get
back on the train.
516
00:44:52,834 --> 00:44:55,751
Our nose on the window,
we open the door
517
00:44:55,917 --> 00:45:00,584
and embrace everything
like good bread.
518
00:45:00,917 --> 00:45:04,376
The old bell tower
in the setting sun.
519
00:45:04,542 --> 00:45:07,667
Oh, France smells so good!
520
00:45:07,834 --> 00:45:10,667
Those big meadows
with their wild flowers.
521
00:45:10,834 --> 00:45:13,959
Oh, France smells so good!
522
00:45:14,126 --> 00:45:16,792
This little garden sign,
"Beware of clogs".
523
00:45:16,959 --> 00:45:20,209
Oh, France smells so good!
524
00:45:20,376 --> 00:45:26,376
At each station stop
you catch the words:
525
00:45:26,542 --> 00:45:29,709
"All aboard
for the Paris Express"
526
00:45:29,876 --> 00:45:32,667
Oh, France smells so good!
527
00:45:33,042 --> 00:45:36,209
And oh so gently,
life starts again,
528
00:45:36,376 --> 00:45:39,501
You'd promised yourself
to swallow it all.
529
00:45:39,667 --> 00:45:42,292
But these blue dreams,
these gigantic projects,
530
00:45:42,626 --> 00:45:47,459
for a few days
we let them slide.
531
00:45:47,626 --> 00:45:51,167
This pretty brunette
with heavenly eyes.
532
00:45:51,334 --> 00:45:54,667
Oh, France smells so good!
533
00:45:54,834 --> 00:45:58,209
The betting office
which shuts at noon.
534
00:45:58,376 --> 00:46:01,251
Oh, France smells so good!
535
00:46:01,417 --> 00:46:04,417
Running a tab at the little bar.
536
00:46:04,584 --> 00:46:07,417
Oh, France smells so good!
537
00:46:07,584 --> 00:46:14,001
It's Saturday, lie back,
no worries till Monday,
538
00:46:14,167 --> 00:46:17,126
A game of Belote or Dix de Der.
539
00:46:17,292 --> 00:46:20,584
Oh, the country smells good!
Which country?
540
00:46:20,751 --> 00:46:24,292
Our country smells so good,
of course!
541
00:46:32,459 --> 00:46:34,917
I missed Mers-el-Kébir.
542
00:46:35,084 --> 00:46:38,209
I only heard about what happened
two weeks later.
543
00:46:39,792 --> 00:46:41,167
I never understood Mers-el-Kébir.
544
00:46:41,334 --> 00:46:46,542
Even now, having read many books
on the subject of Mers-el-Kébir,
545
00:46:46,542 --> 00:46:48,626
I still don't understand.
546
00:46:50,709 --> 00:46:52,792
It was always a mystery to me.
547
00:46:52,792 --> 00:46:55,917
Mers-el-Kébir was a mystery indeed.
548
00:46:56,084 --> 00:47:02,001
Do you mean you don't understand
why the English did what they did?
549
00:47:02,167 --> 00:47:05,292
No, I never really
understood the English.
550
00:47:06,334 --> 00:47:11,001
After leaving Churchill,
I was a member in the House of Commons,
551
00:47:11,542 --> 00:47:15,209
I went to the House of Commons,
got my car,
552
00:47:15,709 --> 00:47:19,876
and drove myself through Hyde Park.
553
00:47:20,917 --> 00:47:25,167
In the middle of the park,
I saw a group of French sailors,
554
00:47:25,334 --> 00:47:29,292
with their little red pompoms
on their képis.
555
00:47:31,334 --> 00:47:36,542
They were running and playing
with an equal number of girls,
556
00:47:37,584 --> 00:47:40,709
or "young ladies" rather.
557
00:47:41,751 --> 00:47:44,876
They were running
and playing and screaming.
558
00:47:44,876 --> 00:47:50,084
They couldn't understand a word
of what the other was saying.
559
00:47:50,251 --> 00:47:53,542
Then a horrible feeling swept over me.
560
00:47:54,251 --> 00:47:58,251
It was sheer luck
that I didn't crash the car,
561
00:47:58,417 --> 00:48:04,667
because suddenly I remembered
Churchill's ultimatum I'd just read,
562
00:48:04,667 --> 00:48:08,834
and I thought of those French boats
in Mers-el-Kébir,
563
00:48:08,834 --> 00:48:10,917
where there were other sailors,
564
00:48:11,084 --> 00:48:15,917
also wearing képis
with little red pompoms,
565
00:48:16,126 --> 00:48:19,667
and I wondered what was going
to happen to them tomorrow.
566
00:48:32,459 --> 00:48:38,167
These are the victims of the most base
and loathsome attack ever.
567
00:48:48,417 --> 00:48:54,667
Clearly, France's former ally only
attacks those who cannot fight back.
568
00:48:55,709 --> 00:48:57,792
On the morning of the attack,
569
00:48:57,792 --> 00:49:00,917
Admiral Gensoul received
the English ultimatum.
570
00:49:00,917 --> 00:49:05,084
Admiral Somerville proceeded
to send several delegations,
571
00:49:05,251 --> 00:49:10,834
in order to explain to Gensoul
the options proposed by Churchill:
572
00:49:11,334 --> 00:49:15,501
they could join the Free French,
allow themselves to be disarmed,
573
00:49:15,667 --> 00:49:20,501
or head to a neutral port
which was out of German reach.
574
00:49:20,709 --> 00:49:23,667
Admiral Gensoul refused
all three options,
575
00:49:23,834 --> 00:49:28,001
as he considered them
dishonourable solutions.
576
00:49:33,209 --> 00:49:36,334
What we didn't dare to risk happening
577
00:49:36,334 --> 00:49:40,501
was letting the boats
fall into enemy hands.
578
00:49:40,501 --> 00:49:42,584
We simply couldn't take the risk.
579
00:49:54,042 --> 00:49:57,792
But wasn't there also
a psychological risk?
580
00:49:58,209 --> 00:50:00,292
Yes, a considerable risk.
581
00:50:01,334 --> 00:50:04,459
It allowed the Germans
to spread propaganda.
582
00:50:06,084 --> 00:50:09,501
And Vichy, too.
Lord knows they used the opportunity.
583
00:50:09,667 --> 00:50:12,792
I think we understood that,
but at the time,
584
00:50:12,792 --> 00:50:15,917
we had very little choice in the matter.
585
00:50:18,042 --> 00:50:20,917
There were 1,600 sailors
586
00:50:21,126 --> 00:50:24,251
killed by the British Navy.
587
00:50:24,417 --> 00:50:28,251
The British Navy attempted
to take over the French Navy.
588
00:50:28,417 --> 00:50:31,334
That was clear to us at the time.
589
00:50:31,542 --> 00:50:32,584
We thought that...
590
00:50:32,751 --> 00:50:39,459
We believed the armistice
would be respected by the Germans.
591
00:50:39,626 --> 00:50:44,042
In France, we thought,
as the Vichy government had told us,
592
00:50:45,084 --> 00:50:49,667
that the French Navy would
never be given over to the Germans.
593
00:50:49,834 --> 00:50:51,167
For us, that was a fact.
594
00:50:51,334 --> 00:50:55,501
I was brought up to believe
that promises were kept,
595
00:50:55,667 --> 00:51:00,542
and I just couldn't imagine
that there could be political dealings
596
00:51:00,709 --> 00:51:05,209
that would eventually lead
to the French Navy being given away.
597
00:51:05,709 --> 00:51:07,792
There was no way.
598
00:51:08,001 --> 00:51:10,376
So we viewed it as a brutal attack.
599
00:51:10,626 --> 00:51:14,084
There was also
an additional moral problem,
600
00:51:14,251 --> 00:51:17,376
in that, according to many testimonies,
601
00:51:17,542 --> 00:51:23,459
the sailors whose boats were shelled
by the British
602
00:51:23,626 --> 00:51:27,792
believed at that moment
they were going to cast off
603
00:51:27,959 --> 00:51:31,792
in order to join the British fleet.
604
00:51:34,042 --> 00:51:35,501
That's terrible.
605
00:51:36,126 --> 00:51:41,334
Had we felt there was any hope of that,
we would never have attacked.
606
00:51:41,501 --> 00:51:43,876
But there was no hope.
607
00:51:44,042 --> 00:51:48,459
Everything we said about the Germans
608
00:51:48,626 --> 00:51:52,417
was proved in Bizerta,
609
00:51:52,792 --> 00:51:58,792
where the Germans proceeded to give
the French admiral
610
00:51:58,959 --> 00:52:00,834
twenty minutes to surrender,
611
00:52:01,126 --> 00:52:05,292
to surrender boats and all,
612
00:52:05,292 --> 00:52:09,459
on pain of an immediate bombing attack,
613
00:52:09,626 --> 00:52:13,709
or of being taken prisoner.
614
00:52:15,709 --> 00:52:18,667
Our predictions all came true.
615
00:52:18,834 --> 00:52:21,959
We knew who we were dealing with.
616
00:52:32,084 --> 00:52:36,167
It was then, shortly after these events,
617
00:52:36,334 --> 00:52:42,209
that the French, whose faith in
the English had been greatly shaken,
618
00:52:42,376 --> 00:52:47,709
made contact with us for the first time,
through General Huntziger
619
00:52:47,876 --> 00:52:49,917
at the Armistice Commission
in Wiesbaden,
620
00:52:50,084 --> 00:52:55,209
to discuss the possibility
of changing the armistice clauses
621
00:52:55,376 --> 00:52:58,334
to allow military collaboration.
622
00:53:12,792 --> 00:53:15,917
And it was the discussion
of such options,
623
00:53:15,917 --> 00:53:21,126
for which each side undoubtedly
had its own personal motivations,
624
00:53:22,167 --> 00:53:25,292
that initiated the negotiations,
625
00:53:25,292 --> 00:53:28,417
which are now known as "collaboration."
626
00:53:37,792 --> 00:53:40,917
While the talks were beginning,
627
00:53:40,917 --> 00:53:46,126
Hitler and Pétain agreed
to meet in Montoire.
628
00:54:09,042 --> 00:54:13,209
In our first meeting,
Laval told me he was a Germanophile.
629
00:54:13,209 --> 00:54:15,292
And as he had known me for years,
630
00:54:15,459 --> 00:54:20,501
he asked me to put in a good word
for him with Hitler, and I did.
631
00:54:24,042 --> 00:54:27,626
I think Hitler felt Laval was sincere,
632
00:54:27,792 --> 00:54:30,917
at least in one aspect:
when he spoke of collaboration.
633
00:54:33,584 --> 00:54:37,167
And that was the main issue
at the second meeting.
634
00:54:42,376 --> 00:54:46,501
In such cases, the defeated want to know
what will become of them.
635
00:54:47,584 --> 00:54:50,709
What will the peace treaty be like?
636
00:54:51,709 --> 00:54:53,834
Whereas the victors I've often seen
637
00:54:54,334 --> 00:55:00,334
generally don't know what's next
and cannot answer such questions.
638
00:55:06,334 --> 00:55:08,417
That's how it went in Montoire.
639
00:55:08,834 --> 00:55:12,042
Hitler didn't know
how to answer Pétain's questions
640
00:55:12,209 --> 00:55:16,292
about boundaries
or the fate of prisoners.
641
00:55:16,459 --> 00:55:19,876
So it ended with
everything up in the air.
642
00:55:20,917 --> 00:55:24,042
Ah, Montoire...
Now that was quite a story.
643
00:55:25,084 --> 00:55:27,167
Where was this Montoire, anyhow?
644
00:55:28,209 --> 00:55:32,376
Everyone was looking it up in the atlas
to see where it was.
645
00:55:32,376 --> 00:55:36,542
When we heard what had transpired,
it was depressing.
646
00:55:36,542 --> 00:55:38,626
Some even cried the next day.
647
00:55:38,792 --> 00:55:40,542
- People were crying?
- Yes.
648
00:55:40,709 --> 00:55:44,501
Soon afterwards,
a new slogan became popular,
649
00:55:45,376 --> 00:55:46,959
"Collaboration is..."
650
00:55:48,001 --> 00:55:51,126
"Give me your watch,
I'll give you the time."
651
00:55:51,459 --> 00:55:52,501
That was the slogan.
652
00:55:55,292 --> 00:55:56,334
That was collaboration.
653
00:55:57,376 --> 00:56:01,542
He often said, also in my presence,
654
00:56:02,584 --> 00:56:04,667
that he hadn't yet decided
655
00:56:04,667 --> 00:56:08,834
whether England or France
should pay for the war.
656
00:56:08,834 --> 00:56:13,001
On the basis of his "race ideology,"
657
00:56:13,001 --> 00:56:18,209
or whatever you can
call this point of view,
658
00:56:18,209 --> 00:56:23,417
many felt much more related
to the English than to the French.
659
00:56:23,417 --> 00:56:29,667
I am convinced that France,
as Hitler saw it,
660
00:56:29,667 --> 00:56:32,792
could only play a minor role
661
00:56:32,792 --> 00:56:36,959
in a National Socialist Europe.
662
00:56:36,959 --> 00:56:44,251
He had never been in France
or anywhere else in Europe.
663
00:56:44,251 --> 00:56:49,459
Whatever knowledge he had
was derived from books,
664
00:56:49,459 --> 00:56:54,667
which had first been adapted
to his point of view.
665
00:56:54,667 --> 00:56:59,876
In his mind, he felt that
a decline of the French people
666
00:57:00,042 --> 00:57:10,292
was unavoidable, and this idea
was confirmed by the French defeat.
667
00:57:18,667 --> 00:57:24,292
During his travels, Hitler sometimes
shared his thoughts with others.
668
00:57:24,626 --> 00:57:27,626
April 5, 1942. Suppertime.
669
00:57:27,792 --> 00:57:32,001
The Fuhrer says that if one plans on
ignoring the terms of a contract,
670
00:57:32,167 --> 00:57:34,709
no use quibbling over details.
671
00:57:34,876 --> 00:57:39,292
Hence, we must assure ourselves
that the French are sincere.
672
00:57:39,459 --> 00:57:44,667
No point in trying to pickpocket
an experienced pickpocket
673
00:57:44,834 --> 00:57:46,584
like the Fuhrer himself.
674
00:57:46,751 --> 00:57:50,917
In any case,
France's main task for the next 50 years
675
00:57:50,917 --> 00:57:55,084
is to repair the damage
done at Versailles.
676
00:57:55,084 --> 00:57:58,209
April 24, 1942. Suppertime.
677
00:57:58,209 --> 00:58:02,376
The Fuhrer says he is against
marriages between
678
00:58:02,376 --> 00:58:05,501
the Wehrmacht and foreigners
in occupied lands.
679
00:58:05,501 --> 00:58:09,667
Such demands are generally based on
sexual frustration,
680
00:58:09,667 --> 00:58:11,751
which is common in troops abroad.
681
00:58:11,917 --> 00:58:17,667
He is struck by the contrast
between the photos of the German men,
682
00:58:17,834 --> 00:58:21,126
and those of the women,
who are very shabby looking.
683
00:58:21,792 --> 00:58:26,167
The Fuhrer feels that such marriages
are doomed from the start,
684
00:58:26,334 --> 00:58:30,501
both in terms of individual happiness
and racial purity.
685
00:58:30,667 --> 00:58:34,501
He is more in favour
of harmless passing fancies,
686
00:58:34,667 --> 00:58:37,792
which are inevitable
in this type of situation.
687
00:58:49,251 --> 00:58:53,417
The conditions created by
National Socialism
688
00:58:53,417 --> 00:58:56,542
within German structures at that time
689
00:58:56,542 --> 00:59:02,792
made it impossible for us to respect
the clauses of the armistice.
690
00:59:05,292 --> 00:59:08,834
We couldn't help what happened,
691
00:59:09,042 --> 00:59:13,209
any more than we could have helped
all the other horrible things
692
00:59:13,209 --> 00:59:17,376
which continue to haunt
any rational human being.
693
00:59:17,376 --> 00:59:23,626
We couldn't stop Hitler and company
from invading Alsace and Lorraine,
694
00:59:23,626 --> 00:59:25,709
making them a part of the Third Reich,
695
00:59:25,876 --> 00:59:32,376
and eventually incorporating their youth
into the Wehrmacht.
696
00:59:34,376 --> 00:59:37,001
This was all out of our hands.
697
00:59:37,167 --> 00:59:40,917
We can reproach ourselves
until kingdom come,
698
00:59:41,084 --> 00:59:43,417
but there was nothing we could do.
699
01:00:21,417 --> 01:00:27,167
You say that after Russia, you were
sent to Alsace, and then France.
700
01:00:28,209 --> 01:00:30,709
Why? Was Alsace not France?
701
01:00:36,292 --> 01:00:42,251
No. For us, it wasn't French territory.
The people were pro-German.
702
01:00:42,417 --> 01:00:44,459
I even brought my whole family.
703
01:00:50,584 --> 01:00:54,001
There were some people
with bad intentions,
704
01:00:54,167 --> 01:00:57,209
some patriots who were ready
to do anything.
705
01:00:57,376 --> 01:00:59,084
But there weren't many.
706
01:00:59,251 --> 01:01:03,376
So I felt like
I was in a country of German origin.
707
01:01:10,584 --> 01:01:11,792
And now?
708
01:01:11,959 --> 01:01:14,042
I've never gone back.
709
01:01:15,084 --> 01:01:18,042
No, but what do you think of it now?
710
01:01:18,209 --> 01:01:22,376
I think it's true.
I think it belongs to Germany.
711
01:01:23,042 --> 01:01:26,542
Here a show is being put on for the SS.
712
01:01:26,876 --> 01:01:29,667
Bruno Fritz's amusing ice hockey report.
713
01:01:38,834 --> 01:01:43,917
The German player is taken by surprise
and falls down on...
714
01:01:49,917 --> 01:01:51,959
...on the ice!
715
01:01:53,501 --> 01:01:57,792
He stands up again. It feels too cold.
716
01:02:14,001 --> 01:02:17,417
Thanks to Franco-German
economic collaboration,
717
01:02:17,584 --> 01:02:20,709
100,000 French workers now work
in Germany.
718
01:02:20,709 --> 01:02:23,834
Four trains leave the capital weekly
719
01:02:23,834 --> 01:02:25,917
and head for German industrial regions.
720
01:02:26,084 --> 01:02:29,917
Today, at the Gare du Nord,
the war councillor Michel
721
01:02:30,084 --> 01:02:35,292
has come to shake the hand of worker
number 110,000: Edouard Lefebvre.
722
01:02:36,334 --> 01:02:40,334
Tell us, Mr Lefebvre,
were you unemployed?
723
01:02:40,501 --> 01:02:42,584
- That's right.
- For how long?
724
01:02:43,626 --> 01:02:45,709
It's been two years now.
725
01:02:46,209 --> 01:02:48,834
- Are you married?
- With children.
726
01:02:55,792 --> 01:02:59,626
This vast organisation has already had
good results:
727
01:02:59,792 --> 01:03:04,459
Lower unemployment rates,
and understanding between workers.
728
01:03:12,167 --> 01:03:17,834
I'd worked for the Finance Minister
and the State Secretary since 1923.
729
01:03:18,001 --> 01:03:23,209
In 1940, Mr Lansfried requested
that I go to Paris,
730
01:03:23,209 --> 01:03:28,417
as head of the military-controlled
finance division in occupied France.
731
01:03:28,417 --> 01:03:33,626
He didn't want a National Socialist
party member in this position.
732
01:03:36,751 --> 01:03:39,876
Were you not a member of the party?
733
01:03:46,126 --> 01:03:50,667
Yes, shortly before,
I had joined the party,
734
01:03:50,834 --> 01:03:53,417
again at the request of Mr Lansfried.
735
01:03:54,459 --> 01:04:00,709
We tried to be as reasonable as
possible, and as fair as possible,
736
01:04:00,709 --> 01:04:04,876
not only in our own interests,
but in those of France as well.
737
01:04:13,042 --> 01:04:16,167
This famous democracy,
in the past 20 years,
738
01:04:16,334 --> 01:04:20,501
has proved itself incapable
of eliminating such poverty.
739
01:04:29,876 --> 01:04:34,042
The Third Reich, however,
aims to provide its workers
740
01:04:34,042 --> 01:04:38,209
everywhere in Germany
with healthy and beautiful hometowns.
741
01:04:38,209 --> 01:04:42,376
This is a new settlement
in a small industrial town,
742
01:04:43,251 --> 01:04:46,376
which naturally has a daycare centre,
743
01:04:46,542 --> 01:04:51,584
a clinic, a centre for mothers
and children and an X-Ray lab.
744
01:04:51,751 --> 01:04:55,917
One gets the impression
from such reports
745
01:04:55,917 --> 01:05:02,167
that German propaganda was
quite open in its racial prejudice,
746
01:05:02,334 --> 01:05:05,751
and often implied
that German discipline and structure
747
01:05:05,917 --> 01:05:10,334
were necessary qualities to clean up
what was considered
748
01:05:10,501 --> 01:05:12,251
to be "the French mess“.
749
01:05:21,959 --> 01:05:25,084
Yes, there is some truth
in what you say.
750
01:05:25,084 --> 01:05:31,334
In our offices in Paris,
we also had a propaganda department.
751
01:05:31,334 --> 01:05:34,459
But it received orders
directly from Berlin.
752
01:05:40,709 --> 01:05:45,751
And I would like to point out that,
from the outset of my job...
753
01:05:45,917 --> 01:05:52,167
It was the first ministerial-level
visit from the French government,
754
01:05:52,167 --> 01:05:55,292
the Minister of Transport
visited in September 1940.
755
01:05:55,292 --> 01:05:59,459
He was accompanied
by the owner of a racing stable,
756
01:05:59,459 --> 01:06:03,626
who wanted permission
to begin horse racing again,
757
01:06:03,626 --> 01:06:08,834
as it was a very popular
national pastime.
758
01:06:18,209 --> 01:06:20,292
The races are ever-popular.
759
01:06:20,292 --> 01:06:24,459
One thing is clear,
Paris has become Paris once again.
760
01:06:33,834 --> 01:06:38,001
I listened to my collaborators
and said, "Why not?"
761
01:06:38,167 --> 01:06:43,209
And so the races started up again,
and continued until 1944.
762
01:07:19,667 --> 01:07:24,709
Thanks to us, the theatres were able
to open their doors again.
763
01:07:24,876 --> 01:07:27,834
We often went to the theatre,
alone or with friends.
764
01:07:28,001 --> 01:07:31,126
The Germans also attended the races,
765
01:07:31,126 --> 01:07:36,334
which is how the different parties
made contact quite spontaneously.
766
01:07:36,334 --> 01:07:41,542
Personal relationships developed
between the different sides,
767
01:07:41,542 --> 01:07:43,626
probably for various reasons.
768
01:07:48,834 --> 01:07:53,417
I'm sure you're aware there has been
a tendency in France since the war
769
01:07:54,042 --> 01:07:57,001
to deny that such contact ever existed.
770
01:07:57,167 --> 01:07:59,251
Yes, but it did exist.
771
01:08:01,334 --> 01:08:06,542
Germany was triumphant,
and there wasn't a single front
772
01:08:06,542 --> 01:08:09,667
from which it failed
to come home victorious.
773
01:08:09,667 --> 01:08:14,876
There's no denying that the German army
made quite an impression
774
01:08:15,042 --> 01:08:19,084
on the youth in France.
Seeing that army of young men,
775
01:08:19,542 --> 01:08:20,917
stripped to the waist...
776
01:08:21,126 --> 01:08:27,376
After all, I'm the son of a soldier
and I was a soldier myself.
777
01:08:27,376 --> 01:08:32,584
Sense of responsibility,
hierarchy and discipline mean a lot.
778
01:08:33,626 --> 01:08:38,834
A well-disciplined army was important
to people like us.
779
01:08:39,751 --> 01:08:43,876
This was the first time
we had seen such an ideal army.
780
01:08:44,042 --> 01:08:47,167
The French army was nothing compared to
781
01:08:48,209 --> 01:08:53,417
this army who could put
the fear of God into an entire people.
782
01:08:54,126 --> 01:08:58,626
It sounds awful to say,
but it's the truth of the matter.
783
01:09:00,709 --> 01:09:02,792
We solemnly swear
784
01:09:04,626 --> 01:09:05,917
to unite
785
01:09:07,667 --> 01:09:09,792
and to place our forces,
786
01:09:12,834 --> 01:09:14,001
our faith,
787
01:09:14,626 --> 01:09:16,167
our ardour,
788
01:09:17,376 --> 01:09:19,459
at the service of the Marshal,
789
01:09:22,584 --> 01:09:24,167
at the service of France.
790
01:09:26,751 --> 01:09:30,751
This campfire draws
a three-day meeting to an end,
791
01:09:30,917 --> 01:09:34,917
during which the discipline
and dedication of these young men
792
01:09:35,084 --> 01:09:38,209
were proved once again.
793
01:09:54,876 --> 01:10:00,084
The French believe servicemen
should be tough as nails,
794
01:10:00,792 --> 01:10:05,292
and at the end of the day,
they always turn to servicemen,
795
01:10:06,334 --> 01:10:11,376
whether it be to restore order,
to prevent a coup-d'état,
796
01:10:11,542 --> 01:10:13,626
or to organise a coup-d'état.
797
01:10:14,251 --> 01:10:16,584
But the serviceman is omnipresent,
798
01:10:16,751 --> 01:10:19,876
with his cap, his pompom, his sabre,
799
01:10:20,292 --> 01:10:24,042
no matter what his rank may be.
800
01:10:25,084 --> 01:10:27,167
The French love their army.
801
01:10:32,834 --> 01:10:35,959
VICHY, APRIL 1969
Poem by Officer C. Languillon,
802
01:10:36,126 --> 01:10:41,292
published on the front page of
Le Moniteur on November 24, 1940.
803
01:10:41,459 --> 01:10:43,667
"His name rings as a gun shot.
804
01:10:43,834 --> 01:10:48,126
"Pétain ready for the challenge?
The soul is willing.
805
01:10:48,292 --> 01:10:50,959
"But goodness is ever aloof.
806
01:10:51,126 --> 01:10:54,084
"The great victor,
even greater in defeat.
807
01:10:54,251 --> 01:10:57,376
"Schemers, foreigners,
buffoons and fools,
808
01:10:57,792 --> 01:11:01,542
"have brought you
to your knees, O France.
809
01:11:01,709 --> 01:11:04,501
"The hero of Verdun,
cleaning the slate,
810
01:11:04,667 --> 01:11:07,626
"Is setting our house in order
from top to bottom.
811
01:11:07,792 --> 01:11:11,792
"A Herculean labour,
a difficult recovery.
812
01:11:11,959 --> 01:11:14,917
"From the ruins come muffled groans.
813
01:11:15,084 --> 01:11:18,209
"Former profiteers
writhe in the rubble."
814
01:11:26,542 --> 01:11:31,751
Pétain, in a series of speeches,
drew conclusions from this defeat,
815
01:11:32,542 --> 01:11:36,542
and he did so with skill.
He could woo his audience.
816
01:11:36,709 --> 01:11:41,126
If one was to read the texts now,
I haven't read them in years,
817
01:11:43,209 --> 01:11:47,376
but I bet if you read them now,
you would be quite surprised.
818
01:11:47,876 --> 01:11:53,626
Yes, the texts relied heavily
on the people's collective unconscious.
819
01:11:53,792 --> 01:11:55,542
Absolutely right.
820
01:11:55,709 --> 01:12:01,959
- He blamed the parliament.
- Yes, the parliamentary system...
821
01:12:03,251 --> 01:12:09,084
Certain employers were
suspect... foreign...
822
01:12:09,251 --> 01:12:13,167
- Cosmopolitan...
- ...not to mention dark-skinned.
823
01:12:13,417 --> 01:12:16,376
And, of course,
he blamed the Communist Party.
824
01:12:16,542 --> 01:12:20,209
The Communist Party was the cause
of all evils.
825
01:12:20,417 --> 01:12:22,501
All hotels were requisitioned,
826
01:12:22,501 --> 01:12:29,792
and the Hôtel du Parc was occupied
by Marshal Pétain and his staff.
827
01:12:30,834 --> 01:12:36,917
This is where I met my friend, Colonel
de Gorostarzu, who lived with Pétain.
828
01:12:37,084 --> 01:12:42,292
He was the chief of staff
for his aviation department.
829
01:12:45,417 --> 01:12:48,542
Consequently,
I was often at the Hôtel du Parc.
830
01:12:51,667 --> 01:12:55,834
It was always busy,
with lots of people milling around.
831
01:12:56,001 --> 01:13:01,917
Everyone kept their voices down
and spied on their neighbours.
832
01:13:02,084 --> 01:13:05,209
Personally, I wasn't
used to their system,
833
01:13:05,834 --> 01:13:09,209
but when I spoke,
I followed everyone's example.
834
01:13:09,376 --> 01:13:12,709
They were forever shushing one another.
835
01:13:14,209 --> 01:13:20,834
- Everyone was very suspicious.
- Of the enemy or of one another?
836
01:13:23,584 --> 01:13:25,001
A bit of both.
837
01:13:26,042 --> 01:13:28,751
Are you a Republican?
838
01:13:32,292 --> 01:13:33,334
Not really.
839
01:13:35,126 --> 01:13:36,292
- Not really?
- No.
840
01:13:36,459 --> 01:13:38,376
You're more of a Monarchist?
841
01:13:38,542 --> 01:13:40,459
Yes, that's right.
842
01:13:40,626 --> 01:13:42,542
French news, late 1940.
843
01:13:42,709 --> 01:13:47,376
Pilot-sergeant Gontier de Vasse,
veteran of WWI,
844
01:13:47,542 --> 01:13:49,834
volunteer in '39, hurt in Dunkirk,
845
01:13:50,001 --> 01:13:54,001
has, of his own free will, agreed
to make the following declaration:
846
01:13:54,167 --> 01:14:00,251
Ever since my return from England
aboard The Sphinx on October 5,
847
01:14:00,417 --> 01:14:05,167
I've been surprised by the number
of my compatriots who still believe
848
01:14:05,334 --> 01:14:10,834
the wounded in Narvik and Dunkirk
were all well-treated by our ex-ally.
849
01:14:11,334 --> 01:14:16,042
And this is why I've decided
to share my memories with you.
850
01:14:17,084 --> 01:14:19,167
When we arrived in England,
851
01:14:19,334 --> 01:14:23,334
we harboured no grudge
against our English comrades.
852
01:14:24,376 --> 01:14:26,459
But after the tragedy in June,
853
01:14:26,626 --> 01:14:29,584
when we were invited
to come and serve under a new flag,
854
01:14:30,292 --> 01:14:34,626
when they offered
to pay us our dues in pounds sterling,
855
01:14:34,792 --> 01:14:38,959
we could only reply
with disdain and indignation.
856
01:14:38,959 --> 01:14:43,126
We French soldiers can only serve
under our own colours.
857
01:14:43,126 --> 01:14:45,209
Anything else would be treason.
858
01:14:45,209 --> 01:14:48,334
Fellow Frenchmen, comrades,
859
01:14:48,334 --> 01:14:53,542
our duty is to stand side by side
behind our leader, Marshal Pétain,
860
01:14:54,167 --> 01:14:57,709
to guarantee France a place of honour
in a new Europe,
861
01:14:58,292 --> 01:15:01,876
and to allow the prisoners
to return home immediately.
862
01:15:02,751 --> 01:15:03,792
It is a difficult task.
863
01:15:03,959 --> 01:15:07,084
Those who try to divide us are enemies.
864
01:15:07,084 --> 01:15:10,209
United we stand, divided we fall.
865
01:15:11,251 --> 01:15:15,542
The idea was to get out of the war,
come what may,
866
01:15:15,876 --> 01:15:18,376
as quickly as possible.
867
01:15:18,542 --> 01:15:23,751
There were 15,000 French sailors
in Liverpool.
868
01:15:24,792 --> 01:15:26,876
I went and spoke to them.
869
01:15:27,584 --> 01:15:30,876
I tried to persuade them
to continue the war.
870
01:15:31,042 --> 01:15:33,126
But there was no way.
871
01:15:33,876 --> 01:15:40,251
We were so low on people
that we needed them to dig the trenches,
872
01:15:40,417 --> 01:15:43,542
and we offered them wages to do so.
873
01:15:43,709 --> 01:15:45,001
They said no.
874
01:15:47,709 --> 01:15:50,834
They said,
"France is no longer in the war.
875
01:15:53,959 --> 01:15:57,084
"We no longer have the right
to dig trenches."
876
01:15:58,751 --> 01:16:03,334
You see...
the kind of attitude they had.
877
01:16:05,417 --> 01:16:10,626
Their desire to get out
was almost spiteful.
878
01:16:14,792 --> 01:16:20,001
As for what would become of England,
they didn't give a care.
879
01:16:26,251 --> 01:16:29,376
That's the kind of attitude they had.
880
01:16:30,417 --> 01:16:32,501
They felt that it was inconceivable
881
01:16:33,167 --> 01:16:38,751
that the English succeed
where the French army had been beaten.
882
01:16:40,376 --> 01:16:43,792
On June 17, 1940,
the steam liner Le Massilia,
883
01:16:43,959 --> 01:16:46,584
headed from Bordeaux to Morocco.
884
01:16:46,751 --> 01:16:49,667
Several parliamentarians were aboard.
885
01:16:49,917 --> 01:16:52,126
This event caused much ink to flow.
886
01:16:52,292 --> 01:16:58,001
I boarded Le Massilia without
suspecting that it was a big trap.
887
01:16:59,584 --> 01:17:03,751
Those who stayed behind in Bordeaux
quickly understood
888
01:17:04,792 --> 01:17:10,001
that they could exploit
the circumstances,
889
01:17:11,042 --> 01:17:16,251
and influence the public
to think that the departure of the boat
890
01:17:16,251 --> 01:17:20,417
and the fact that
a number of politicians were aboard,
891
01:17:20,417 --> 01:17:25,626
was a sign we were panicking,
running away, abandoning them.
892
01:17:25,626 --> 01:17:28,751
In other words, deserting.
893
01:17:28,917 --> 01:17:34,792
The people aboard Le Massilia
who actually wanted to fight
894
01:17:35,001 --> 01:17:40,209
were quickly judged to be cowards
who were fleeing the fight.
895
01:17:41,251 --> 01:17:44,626
It was paradoxical that some of us,
896
01:17:44,792 --> 01:17:47,542
including [Pierre] Viénot,
Jean Zay, [Alex] Wiltzer and I,
897
01:17:47,709 --> 01:17:51,417
were tried for desertion,
898
01:17:51,667 --> 01:17:57,167
when in fact their original plan
had been to go and fight.
899
01:17:57,334 --> 01:18:01,792
And as far as I was concerned,
I was almost obliged to go,
900
01:18:02,042 --> 01:18:06,376
seeing as my unit had gone,
and it was my duty to follow them.
901
01:18:06,626 --> 01:18:11,209
Everyone wound up in Rabat.
There were tons of people.
902
01:18:14,584 --> 01:18:18,292
Once there, I went to lunch
903
01:18:18,751 --> 01:18:23,292
at "Balima", Rabat's best restaurant,
where everyone met.
904
01:18:23,459 --> 01:18:28,792
One of my cousins,
Du Jonchay, a pilot, was there,
905
01:18:29,167 --> 01:18:32,292
and naturally we discussed
what had happened.
906
01:18:32,459 --> 01:18:35,251
He showed me Pierre Mendés-France,
907
01:18:35,417 --> 01:18:41,667
who was sitting at a table
with a lovely woman, who was his wife.
908
01:18:43,751 --> 01:18:45,834
My cousin turned to me and said,
909
01:18:46,876 --> 01:18:51,042
"Our State Secretary there
is responsible for our defeat."
910
01:18:51,209 --> 01:18:57,501
There he sat, our little lieutenant,
drinking champagne.
911
01:18:58,917 --> 01:19:01,084
That champagne completely infuriated me.
912
01:19:01,376 --> 01:19:02,334
I walked up to him,
913
01:19:02,501 --> 01:19:08,751
and told him this was no attitude
to have, after being defeated,
914
01:19:08,959 --> 01:19:11,876
drinking champagne in public
as if he was delighted
915
01:19:13,959 --> 01:19:16,042
about what had happened.
916
01:19:17,084 --> 01:19:18,417
Then what?
917
01:19:18,834 --> 01:19:21,251
I told him
918
01:19:22,292 --> 01:19:25,417
if I saw him again,
I would kick him out.
919
01:19:26,459 --> 01:19:29,334
And I gave him my card.
920
01:19:30,626 --> 01:19:35,626
- It caused quite a stir.
- You were picking a fight.
921
01:19:36,542 --> 01:19:39,876
No, I simply gave him my card
to let him know who I was.
922
01:19:40,042 --> 01:19:42,084
Not to hide my identity.
923
01:19:42,251 --> 01:19:44,001
How did he react?
924
01:19:44,167 --> 01:19:50,001
He got up, stood to attention,
and said nothing.
925
01:19:50,167 --> 01:19:53,126
I was a captain, he was a lieutenant.
926
01:19:53,542 --> 01:19:55,001
I SEE.
927
01:19:55,626 --> 01:19:57,709
There was surrender and treason.
928
01:19:57,876 --> 01:20:02,751
But anti-Semitism had also begun
to rear its ugly head.
929
01:20:02,917 --> 01:20:07,959
Many who used to hide their feelings
openly declared their anti-Semitism
930
01:20:08,126 --> 01:20:13,334
to the point that France began adopting
certain German values,
931
01:20:13,334 --> 01:20:17,501
and sought to get closer to Hitler,
932
01:20:17,501 --> 01:20:22,709
in the hope of creating a Europe where
France and Germany would collaborate
933
01:20:22,709 --> 01:20:26,876
and obviously anti-Semitism
became a common element
934
01:20:26,876 --> 01:20:30,001
between many Germans and Frenchmen.
935
01:20:30,001 --> 01:20:35,209
And, of course, Jean Zay and I
had the misfortune of being Jewish.
936
01:20:35,209 --> 01:20:40,417
Actually, I was Jewish.
Jean Zay was only partly Jewish.
937
01:20:40,417 --> 01:20:45,626
He had converted, as had his father,
but he was of Jewish origin.
938
01:20:46,667 --> 01:20:50,834
This didn't detract from
the atrocious campaign against him,
939
01:20:50,834 --> 01:20:55,001
which, as you know,
ended in his being killed.
940
01:20:57,084 --> 01:21:01,251
Jean Zay was arrested.
His pregnant wife was in Casablanca.
941
01:21:02,292 --> 01:21:05,417
She had a very tough time
to find a hospital bed,
942
01:21:05,417 --> 01:21:09,584
or even someone
willing to help her give birth.
943
01:21:09,584 --> 01:21:11,667
There was such hatred.
944
01:21:11,667 --> 01:21:16,876
When clinics or hospitals heard
that she was Jean Zay's wife,
945
01:21:17,042 --> 01:21:20,876
they didn't have
the courage to admit her.
946
01:21:21,042 --> 01:21:25,209
You can't imagine how rampant
sectarianism had become.
947
01:21:26,251 --> 01:21:32,334
In any case, Mrs Zay's pregnancy
was certainly a very trying time.
948
01:21:32,501 --> 01:21:37,792
She lived with my wife
and they spent many long hours together
949
01:21:37,959 --> 01:21:40,667
during which they were
abused and insulted.
950
01:21:40,834 --> 01:21:46,042
My wife also had
a very rough time of it.
951
01:21:46,042 --> 01:21:47,084
Anyhow,
952
01:21:49,167 --> 01:21:54,376
Madeleine Zay eventually gave birth
to this baby,
953
01:21:54,376 --> 01:21:56,459
whom I had the opportunity to meet,
954
01:21:56,626 --> 01:22:00,376
as I was arrested
shortly after the baby's birth,
955
01:22:00,626 --> 01:22:04,626
and when I was transferred
to Clermont-Ferrand,
956
01:22:04,792 --> 01:22:08,959
where I met up with Jean Zay,
I'd seen his daughter and he hadn't.
957
01:22:10,417 --> 01:22:13,501
JEAN ZAY
To Appear in Court Tomorrow
958
01:22:22,501 --> 01:22:26,501
The committing magistrate was
Colonel Leprêtre.
959
01:22:26,667 --> 01:22:32,459
I don't want to name names, but
this man's reputation lives on today.
960
01:22:32,626 --> 01:22:38,959
The man was very intelligent,
very bright, clever and cunning,
961
01:22:39,167 --> 01:22:43,334
but he had a very perverse side to him,
962
01:22:43,501 --> 01:22:46,292
in that he harboured great hate
for the accused,
963
01:22:46,459 --> 01:22:50,084
especially if the accused was left-wing.
964
01:22:50,626 --> 01:22:56,209
He got a certain morbid pleasure
from seeing an important man accused.
965
01:22:58,959 --> 01:23:04,959
Even outside of cross-examination,
he would sometimes visit the prison,
966
01:23:05,209 --> 01:23:09,376
just to sit and chat with the prisoners.
967
01:23:09,542 --> 01:23:13,251
He would go in their cells,
and sit on their beds,
968
01:23:13,459 --> 01:23:15,459
pretending to speak with them simply.
969
01:23:15,626 --> 01:23:20,584
He clearly got a great deal of pleasure
out of holding the fates
970
01:23:20,751 --> 01:23:23,792
of such formerly important men
in his hands.
971
01:23:23,959 --> 01:23:28,126
There was something very sick,
very odd about it.
972
01:23:28,292 --> 01:23:30,542
A strange man.
973
01:23:30,709 --> 01:23:35,751
So he would confess to certain things
in moments of relaxation?
974
01:23:35,917 --> 01:23:39,542
One day, he said to me,
"I know what you think of me."
975
01:23:39,709 --> 01:23:43,584
The man was bright enough to understand.
Very intelligent.
976
01:23:43,751 --> 01:23:46,876
He said to me,
"I know what you think of me,
977
01:23:47,917 --> 01:23:52,084
"but in an organised society,
there are certain tasks,
978
01:23:52,084 --> 01:23:57,292
"tasks which must be done,
and which require people to do them."
979
01:23:58,334 --> 01:24:02,709
"Every society needs bin men."
He chose that word.
980
01:24:02,876 --> 01:24:04,417
Were you able to emphasise
981
01:24:04,584 --> 01:24:10,834
the racial and political background
and motives to the trial?
982
01:24:11,251 --> 01:24:16,917
No, our main concern was
to obtain satisfying results,
983
01:24:17,084 --> 01:24:23,001
and we knew that these judges
wouldn't appreciate such arguments.
984
01:24:23,167 --> 01:24:26,292
Even if we had said that
his being Jewish
985
01:24:26,459 --> 01:24:28,542
should have nothing to do
with the trial,
986
01:24:28,709 --> 01:24:34,042
we knew perfectly well
that it would be a major issue.
987
01:24:34,209 --> 01:24:36,709
The hearing was extremely tense.
988
01:24:36,876 --> 01:24:40,876
It began at 9am with an introduction
by Pierre Mendés-France,
989
01:24:41,042 --> 01:24:45,251
which the Colonel received
with obvious contempt.
990
01:24:46,042 --> 01:24:49,209
He had been given a table
and a jug of water.
991
01:24:49,376 --> 01:24:53,876
He began with the following
introductory statement:
992
01:24:54,042 --> 01:24:58,084
"Colonel and gentlemen,
I am Jewish, I am a Freemason,
993
01:24:58,251 --> 01:25:01,084
"but I am not a deserter.
May the trial begin."
994
01:25:01,251 --> 01:25:07,084
The court was presided over
by a rather frenzied man,
995
01:25:07,251 --> 01:25:09,834
called Colonel Perret,
996
01:25:10,209 --> 01:25:14,001
a colonel in charge of tanks,
997
01:25:14,376 --> 01:25:18,459
who harboured a particular hatred
for General de Gaulle,
998
01:25:19,584 --> 01:25:25,834
because they had served in Saint Cyr
together and were both competitive.
999
01:25:26,876 --> 01:25:32,084
He hated anything to do with de Gaulle,
Gaullism or Gaullists.
1000
01:25:32,251 --> 01:25:36,084
Furthermore,
he was a very frenzied character,
1001
01:25:36,251 --> 01:25:40,417
who ran the hearings
in an atrocious manner.
1002
01:25:41,459 --> 01:25:47,292
My sentence was nothing compared to
the death sentences he gave out.
1003
01:25:47,459 --> 01:25:52,751
He was responsible for executions,
which is considerably worse
1004
01:25:52,917 --> 01:25:56,334
than the sentence he gave me.
1005
01:25:56,584 --> 01:26:02,959
I must say that those present
at the hearing were extremely hostile.
1006
01:26:03,126 --> 01:26:06,834
The audience had been rigged,
no two ways about it.
1007
01:26:06,917 --> 01:26:10,042
Women whose faces were filled with hate.
1008
01:26:10,042 --> 01:26:12,126
I won't name any names,
1009
01:26:12,709 --> 01:26:15,084
but they were hateful people,
1010
01:26:15,251 --> 01:26:20,292
people who were hoping
for the cruellest of sentences,
1011
01:26:20,459 --> 01:26:23,584
who were hoping
I'd be killed immediately,
1012
01:26:24,251 --> 01:26:27,751
who didn't think I should even
be allowed to defend myself.
1013
01:26:29,251 --> 01:26:33,001
Some 300 or 400 entry cards
had been delivered,
1014
01:26:33,167 --> 01:26:35,376
but only six were for the defence.
1015
01:26:35,626 --> 01:26:38,209
The cards were quite a story.
1016
01:26:38,376 --> 01:26:43,417
As only a limited number existed,
and they were in high demand,
1017
01:26:43,584 --> 01:26:45,501
a new black market developed.
1018
01:26:45,667 --> 01:26:50,542
There were bistros in Clermont
that hawked the cards.
1019
01:26:50,876 --> 01:26:55,042
Flatteringly enough,
they were very expensive,
1020
01:26:55,209 --> 01:26:58,501
twenty francs for the show.
It cost more than the cinema.
1021
01:26:58,667 --> 01:27:03,209
There's no denying that
public opinion was strongly influenced
1022
01:27:03,376 --> 01:27:05,459
by the papers at that time,
1023
01:27:05,459 --> 01:27:09,626
which felt that the politicians
who were accused
1024
01:27:09,792 --> 01:27:12,584
should automatically be declared guilty.
1025
01:27:12,751 --> 01:27:16,917
My colonel, my lieutenant-colonel
and my general
1026
01:27:16,917 --> 01:27:21,084
all took the stand
and said, "He didn't desert."
1027
01:27:21,751 --> 01:27:26,126
When the commissioner,
whose name I won't give either,
1028
01:27:26,292 --> 01:27:29,417
stood up and announced in a choked voice
1029
01:27:29,417 --> 01:27:33,584
that he was sentenced
to six years for desertion,
1030
01:27:33,751 --> 01:27:37,584
Mendés told him,
"Sir, I'm sure you'll be rewarded.
1031
01:27:37,751 --> 01:27:40,209
"You've served the master well."
1032
01:27:40,876 --> 01:27:46,001
Former State Secretary Sentenced
to Six Years in Jail for Desertion
1033
01:27:46,667 --> 01:27:52,334
I don't know if Rochat told you
that a man came to see him the next day.
1034
01:27:53,376 --> 01:27:57,542
And this man told him,
"I'm a Pétain supporter,
1035
01:27:57,542 --> 01:28:01,709
"and I am appalled by what happened
yesterday. It's scandalous.
1036
01:28:01,709 --> 01:28:06,917
"The Marshal must not be aware
that such things are happening.
1037
01:28:06,917 --> 01:28:11,084
"The Marshal must be informed
of such goings-on.
1038
01:28:13,167 --> 01:28:18,376
"I saw you stenograph the hearing."
Which indeed he had.
1039
01:28:19,167 --> 01:28:24,042
"Could you get a copy for me
to bring to the Marshal himself?"
1040
01:28:24,626 --> 01:28:29,834
Rochat gave him a copy
which he took to the Marshal.
1041
01:28:29,834 --> 01:28:31,917
Naturally, nothing ever came of it.
1042
01:28:32,084 --> 01:28:37,292
But the man who took the copy
was a certain Mr Giscard d'Estaing.
1043
01:28:40,251 --> 01:28:44,417
It is these children,
the pupils of French schools,
1044
01:28:44,917 --> 01:28:48,417
in whom the Marshal sees hope
for our country.
1045
01:28:48,584 --> 01:28:51,542
He has come to speak simply,
as only he can,
1046
01:28:51,709 --> 01:28:54,834
in a modest school
in the town of Périgny.
1047
01:28:55,126 --> 01:28:56,917
You may sit down now.
1048
01:28:57,251 --> 01:28:59,792
You don't have to stand to listen.
1049
01:29:03,584 --> 01:29:07,334
Young pupils of our French schools,
1050
01:29:08,376 --> 01:29:11,792
the reason I wanted
to speak to you today
1051
01:29:11,959 --> 01:29:15,667
on this day
as you begin a new school year,
1052
01:29:16,167 --> 01:29:20,876
is that it's important for you
to know that I am counting on you
1053
01:29:21,084 --> 01:29:24,876
to help me rebuild our country, France.
1054
01:29:25,042 --> 01:29:28,167
So work hard, stand firm,
and do your best.
1055
01:29:29,209 --> 01:29:30,542
All rise.
1056
01:29:33,376 --> 01:29:36,292
To arms, citizens!
1057
01:29:36,667 --> 01:29:40,042
Form your batallions!
1058
01:29:40,459 --> 01:29:44,667
We march, we march!
1059
01:29:44,834 --> 01:29:52,876
Let impure blood water our furrows!
1060
01:29:53,042 --> 01:29:56,126
I had to pass through Vichy
to reach my posting in Billancourt
1061
01:29:56,292 --> 01:29:59,417
in the first two weeks of August 1940.
1062
01:29:59,417 --> 01:30:02,542
Many people told me
that Marshal Pétain was very tired,
1063
01:30:03,584 --> 01:30:05,667
and was only lucid
for two hours a day.
1064
01:30:07,251 --> 01:30:09,834
Imagine my surprise when I met this man,
1065
01:30:10,334 --> 01:30:13,834
who, although elderly,
stood bolt upright,
1066
01:30:14,001 --> 01:30:19,792
with his look of steel,
which many people have commented on,
1067
01:30:19,959 --> 01:30:23,209
and with the greatest of ease,
1068
01:30:23,376 --> 01:30:28,584
politely asked me to sit down
and make myself comfortable,
1069
01:30:28,751 --> 01:30:33,584
then said, "Mr Lamirand,
there's been much talk about you here."
1070
01:30:34,417 --> 01:30:38,584
The secretary general of youth,
Mr Georges Lamirand
1071
01:30:39,001 --> 01:30:43,001
recently visited Lavalette camp,
the main goal of which
1072
01:30:43,167 --> 01:30:47,167
is to train the men of tomorrow.
He visited these young men
1073
01:30:47,334 --> 01:30:50,459
who are united by a common ideal,
and live life
1074
01:30:50,959 --> 01:30:54,626
in continual contact with nature,
work and simplicity,
1075
01:30:55,417 --> 01:30:58,417
these values upon which
we must rebuild our country.
1076
01:30:59,834 --> 01:31:01,917
We talked and I thought to myself,
1077
01:31:01,917 --> 01:31:04,001
"What bad luck.
1078
01:31:04,167 --> 01:31:09,042
"They say he's only lucid two hours
a clay, and I chance upon those."
1079
01:31:09,209 --> 01:31:12,334
The problems of youth are fascinating,
1080
01:31:12,792 --> 01:31:15,292
but I had absolutely no idea that,
1081
01:31:15,459 --> 01:31:21,167
in the position
Marshal Pétain wanted to grant me,
1082
01:31:21,334 --> 01:31:25,667
there were so many fascinating
subjects and problems to solve.
1083
01:31:25,876 --> 01:31:29,001
Repeat after me: Long live France!
1084
01:31:30,042 --> 01:31:32,126
Long live the Marshal!
1085
01:31:34,834 --> 01:31:40,459
Louis Renault finally agreed
to give me leave,
1086
01:31:41,501 --> 01:31:46,709
saying to Pétain,
"I'll lend him to you for a month."
1087
01:31:46,709 --> 01:31:50,876
and Marshal Pétain,
in his infinite cleverness,
1088
01:31:50,876 --> 01:31:52,959
"Fine, one month.
1089
01:31:52,959 --> 01:31:57,126
"But if you don't mind,
let's make the job renewable."
1090
01:31:57,126 --> 01:31:59,209
and he renewed it 30 months.
1091
01:31:59,376 --> 01:32:01,667
Mr Lamirand is inaugurating
1092
01:32:01,834 --> 01:32:06,501
an exhibition of drawings
sent to Pétain by French schoolchildren.
1093
01:32:08,042 --> 01:32:11,542
The little ones wanted
to answer the Marshal's call,
1094
01:32:11,709 --> 01:32:16,751
they wanted to show the Marshal
their towns, villages and homes,
1095
01:32:16,917 --> 01:32:20,876
hence sharing a piece
of their daily lives with him.
1096
01:32:21,042 --> 01:32:25,084
A school girl, perhaps the youngest
in France, had the luck
1097
01:32:25,251 --> 01:32:30,292
of being allowed to give Pétain
her lovingly written letter in person.
1098
01:32:30,459 --> 01:32:33,584
It was about adding a new element
1099
01:32:33,584 --> 01:32:40,876
to the famous triptych of the time:
Work, Family, Nation.
1100
01:32:41,042 --> 01:32:44,626
Honour your work, your family,
and your nation.
1101
01:32:45,042 --> 01:32:47,126
A national revolution?
1102
01:32:47,626 --> 01:32:48,876
You said it.
1103
01:32:49,209 --> 01:32:53,376
Marshal Pétain has already told you
several times
1104
01:32:53,376 --> 01:32:56,501
what he meant by social revolution.
1105
01:32:56,501 --> 01:33:01,709
He feels that our
social system is unfair.
1106
01:33:01,709 --> 01:33:04,834
There is too much poverty,
too much injustice.
1107
01:33:05,001 --> 01:33:07,792
And that is what he wants to change.
1108
01:33:07,959 --> 01:33:13,167
He is bound and determined
to bring happiness to France,
1109
01:33:13,167 --> 01:33:17,334
and asks us all
to join in a communal effort.
1110
01:33:17,501 --> 01:33:21,084
Dear friends, this is
his social revolution.
1111
01:33:21,251 --> 01:33:24,626
That was when he started
planning his escape.
1112
01:33:25,126 --> 01:33:28,626
He grew his beard, shaved it off,
grew it out again,
1113
01:33:28,792 --> 01:33:30,834
and one fine clay, he left.
1114
01:33:45,001 --> 01:33:47,542
I must admit I'm not very athletic,
1115
01:33:48,209 --> 01:33:52,751
but I prepared myself by working out
for several months beforehand.
1116
01:33:53,209 --> 01:33:56,751
I was high up,
so I had to jump off a high wall.
1117
01:33:56,917 --> 01:33:59,001
But I had to run the risk.
1118
01:33:59,167 --> 01:34:03,167
And once I had jumped,
I would be a free man again.
1119
01:34:03,584 --> 01:34:06,126
Just as I was about to jump...
1120
01:34:06,292 --> 01:34:09,417
There were trees planted
along the avenue.
1121
01:34:10,459 --> 01:34:14,626
I heard the unexpected sound of voices.
1122
01:34:14,626 --> 01:34:17,751
I tried to see in the semi-darkness.
1123
01:34:18,792 --> 01:34:21,917
There was a couple sitting under a tree.
1124
01:34:22,959 --> 01:34:25,042
You can imagine
what they were discussing.
1125
01:34:26,084 --> 01:34:31,292
He knew what he wanted,
but she hadn't decided yet.
1126
01:34:32,334 --> 01:34:35,459
It seemed to last an eternity to me.
1127
01:34:36,501 --> 01:34:38,584
She ended up saying yes,
1128
01:34:38,584 --> 01:34:43,792
but I had the impression she had
put up a great deal of resistance.
1129
01:34:45,876 --> 01:34:49,001
Finally, they left, and so I jumped.
1130
01:34:50,042 --> 01:34:55,251
And let me assure you
that I was even happier than he was.
1131
01:34:56,292 --> 01:35:00,459
I'd really like to meet him some clay
and let him know
1132
01:35:01,126 --> 01:35:05,501
how much I experienced
with the two of them that night.
1133
01:35:05,667 --> 01:35:08,626
How you admired his audacity.
1134
01:35:08,792 --> 01:35:14,001
Yes, and how her lack of audacity
struck me as being so untimely.
1135
01:35:14,001 --> 01:35:16,084
Anyway,
1136
01:35:16,251 --> 01:35:20,251
love, fate and escape
eventually won the day.
1137
01:35:22,334 --> 01:35:24,417
Did you disguise yourself?
1138
01:35:25,459 --> 01:35:28,584
I was disguised, but not very well.
1139
01:35:29,626 --> 01:35:31,709
You see, many people back then
1140
01:35:31,709 --> 01:35:36,917
who wanted to disguise themselves
would let their beards grow.
1141
01:35:37,084 --> 01:35:40,876
So, bearded men
automatically aroused suspicion!
1142
01:35:41,084 --> 01:35:43,167
I let my moustache grow,
1143
01:35:43,167 --> 01:35:50,459
I gave myself a new hairstyle,
parted straight down the middle.
1144
01:35:50,459 --> 01:35:52,542
I got a pair of glasses.
1145
01:35:53,584 --> 01:35:56,542
And of course, I changed
the way I dressed and so forth.
1146
01:35:56,959 --> 01:36:01,751
The next day,
I went for my daily visit with him,
1147
01:36:01,917 --> 01:36:04,001
to see if he had escaped or not.
1148
01:36:04,167 --> 01:36:09,042
I arrived and saw all these people
with decametres in hand,
1149
01:36:09,209 --> 01:36:13,376
taking all sorts of measurements.
They were hysterical.
1150
01:36:13,376 --> 01:36:16,501
They asked me what I wanted.
I said I was there to see my client.
1151
01:36:16,667 --> 01:36:21,542
They asked if I knew Pierre
Mendés-France had left. I said no.
1152
01:36:21,709 --> 01:36:24,834
I burst out laughing,
which made them angry.
1153
01:36:24,834 --> 01:36:30,042
They carried out a huge security check
of all the roads and trains.
1154
01:36:30,501 --> 01:36:36,126
But my plan was to not contact anyone,
to not count on anyone,
1155
01:36:36,292 --> 01:36:40,459
to be cut off from
everything and everyone.
1156
01:36:41,042 --> 01:36:45,501
I must say that life
in France at that time
1157
01:36:45,667 --> 01:36:50,209
is very difficult to imagine,
and even more so to describe.
1158
01:36:50,376 --> 01:36:53,834
You had an old pair of shoes
you hoped would last.
1159
01:36:54,001 --> 01:36:57,126
If they got a hole,
there was no leather to fix them.
1160
01:36:57,792 --> 01:37:01,584
There were no plates, there were
no matches, there was nothing.
1161
01:37:03,876 --> 01:37:09,459
It is very difficult,
in hindsight, to describe
1162
01:37:09,626 --> 01:37:12,751
what it was like living in a country
1163
01:37:12,917 --> 01:37:16,334
where everyone was always
searching for everything.
1164
01:37:17,959 --> 01:37:21,959
The new rage in Paris
is silk stockings without the silk.
1165
01:37:22,126 --> 01:37:26,126
All you have to do, ladies,
is dye your legs.
1166
01:37:26,292 --> 01:37:29,209
It's easy and practical, a great idea.
1167
01:37:29,417 --> 01:37:33,251
The ladies are trading in
their garters for paintbrushes.
1168
01:37:34,626 --> 01:37:37,584
Worried about what will happen
when you bathe?
1169
01:37:37,751 --> 01:37:41,751
No problem.
Paint-on stockings are waterproof.
1170
01:37:41,917 --> 01:37:46,709
On top of that, Elizabeth Arden
guarantees they won't run!
1171
01:37:56,501 --> 01:38:00,001
That's a Parisian habit
which will disappear.
1172
01:38:03,834 --> 01:38:06,917
Where is France headed?
Where is Europe headed?
1173
01:38:07,959 --> 01:38:10,417
Some 3,000 people in Chaillot will hear
1174
01:38:10,667 --> 01:38:15,376
Mr Alphonse de Chateaubriant
discuss The French Drama.
1175
01:38:16,209 --> 01:38:20,459
At this very moment,
a huge continental unit
1176
01:38:20,917 --> 01:38:23,584
is slowly taking shape.
1177
01:38:24,626 --> 01:38:28,792
It will be one gigantic
geographical piece in the puzzle,
1178
01:38:28,792 --> 01:38:32,959
with one single political
and economical doctrine,
1179
01:38:32,959 --> 01:38:36,084
stretching to the very tip of Europe,
1180
01:38:36,084 --> 01:38:40,251
the very tip of which is France.
1181
01:38:41,292 --> 01:38:46,501
Therein the importance of France
becomes clear,
1182
01:38:47,542 --> 01:38:52,751
as France becomes,
in this new division, the outer edge,
1183
01:38:53,209 --> 01:38:59,876
the last bastion on the Atlantic
of this immense continent,
1184
01:39:00,042 --> 01:39:05,251
faced with another large continent,
America,
1185
01:39:06,292 --> 01:39:10,459
which is ready to take over
the ancient order of things,
1186
01:39:11,001 --> 01:39:14,459
the ancient riches
and capitalist creeds,
1187
01:39:14,626 --> 01:39:18,792
the ancient gold and the ancient man,
1188
01:39:18,792 --> 01:39:21,917
in order to make it their last refuge,
1189
01:39:21,917 --> 01:39:25,042
their last fortress,
1190
01:39:25,042 --> 01:39:27,126
and their last army.
1191
01:39:28,167 --> 01:39:32,334
I sincerely hope
that everything I have said tonight
1192
01:39:33,126 --> 01:39:39,084
will give the word "collaboration"
new meaning in your eyes.
1193
01:39:39,626 --> 01:39:42,751
It's not surprising that, at first,
1194
01:39:42,751 --> 01:39:46,917
such poison won over many new converts.
1195
01:39:47,959 --> 01:39:52,126
Little by little, people began
to realise it was propaganda,
1196
01:39:52,126 --> 01:39:58,376
and to see that
the government was practicing a policy,
1197
01:39:58,376 --> 01:40:01,501
which they themselves called
collaboration with the enemy.
1198
01:40:01,501 --> 01:40:05,667
Slowly but surely,
people began to open their eyes,
1199
01:40:05,667 --> 01:40:07,751
and change their minds.
1200
01:40:09,834 --> 01:40:14,876
But this propaganda
still won over many new converts.
1201
01:40:15,042 --> 01:40:19,209
You know as well as I do
that anti-Semitism and Anglophobia
1202
01:40:19,376 --> 01:40:22,709
are never hard to stir up in France.
1203
01:40:23,376 --> 01:40:30,417
Even if reactions to such things
are dormant or stifled,
1204
01:40:30,667 --> 01:40:33,792
all it takes is one event, one incident,
1205
01:40:33,792 --> 01:40:37,959
one international crisis
or one Dreyfus affair,
1206
01:40:37,959 --> 01:40:43,167
for feelings we thought long gone
to suddenly re-emerge in full force,
1207
01:40:43,334 --> 01:40:48,209
for beliefs we thought dead
to be simply dormant.
1208
01:40:48,376 --> 01:40:53,417
Edouard Drumont was the first in France
to examine the Jewish question.
1209
01:40:53,584 --> 01:40:58,626
The Institute of Jewish Questions
celebrates his memory today.
1210
01:40:58,792 --> 01:41:02,792
Mr Laville has agreed
to say a few words.
1211
01:41:02,959 --> 01:41:06,084
Out of 100 Frenchmen of old stock,
1212
01:41:06,251 --> 01:41:10,667
at least 90 are pure white,
free of any other racial mixture.
1213
01:41:10,834 --> 01:41:12,167
This isn't true of the Jews.
1214
01:41:12,334 --> 01:41:17,542
The Jews are born of a mixture
which dates back thousands of years,
1215
01:41:18,001 --> 01:41:20,917
between Aryans, Mongols and Negroes.
1216
01:41:21,292 --> 01:41:26,917
Therefore, Jews have unique faces,
bodies, attitudes and gestures.
1217
01:41:27,542 --> 01:41:31,959
It is reassuring to see
that the public is interested
1218
01:41:32,126 --> 01:41:34,209
in studying the
characteristics presented
1219
01:41:34,376 --> 01:41:38,917
in the morphological section
of "Jews and France".
1220
01:41:39,417 --> 01:41:42,542
In October '40,
when I came home on leave,
1221
01:41:42,542 --> 01:41:45,667
I heard that a good friend of mine,
a teacher,
1222
01:41:45,834 --> 01:41:48,626
wasn't allowed to
keep teaching that autumn,
1223
01:41:48,792 --> 01:41:52,959
because his mother was Jewish,
making him half-Jewish.
1224
01:41:54,001 --> 01:41:55,042
I'd met Jews before,
1225
01:41:55,042 --> 01:41:59,209
but I treated them
the same as Catholics, Protestants,
1226
01:41:59,209 --> 01:42:02,334
or people with
no religion in particular.
1227
01:42:03,376 --> 01:42:08,584
It wasn't a revolution yet,
but it did give me food for thought.
1228
01:42:09,126 --> 01:42:13,792
- Did you have any Jewish teachers?
- Let me see...
1229
01:42:14,834 --> 01:42:16,917
We did have one.
1230
01:42:17,959 --> 01:42:20,042
Yes, he was fired.
1231
01:42:23,167 --> 01:42:28,084
The same old story.
No one ever told us anything.
1232
01:42:28,376 --> 01:42:32,542
Listen, I think we should
make a little nuance here.
1233
01:42:32,542 --> 01:42:38,792
I think that when you take cases
like this teacher we mentioned,
1234
01:42:38,792 --> 01:42:44,001
I think that we tried,
to the best of our ability,
1235
01:42:44,292 --> 01:42:49,626
to get these people some work
tutoring and so forth.
1236
01:42:49,834 --> 01:42:52,167
We did that for another colleague, too.
1237
01:42:52,334 --> 01:42:57,542
Like you say, it wasn't much,
but we did have sympathy for them.
1238
01:42:58,959 --> 01:43:01,542
Did you really try?
1239
01:43:01,709 --> 01:43:05,709
Did every single teacher in Clermont
hand in their resignation?
1240
01:43:05,876 --> 01:43:10,042
No way. You've no idea
what the mentality was like back then.
1241
01:43:10,209 --> 01:43:13,167
Collective resignation? Come on!
1242
01:43:14,792 --> 01:43:18,167
In 1940, Vichy came out
with the Jewish decrees.
1243
01:43:18,459 --> 01:43:22,376
In the small ads of Le Moniteur,
a local merchant announced
1244
01:43:22,542 --> 01:43:24,626
that he was 100% pure French.
1245
01:43:25,667 --> 01:43:28,209
Sir, are you Marius?
1246
01:43:28,376 --> 01:43:30,251
Yes, I'm Marius.
1247
01:43:30,417 --> 01:43:32,792
You're weighed down with medals.
1248
01:43:32,959 --> 01:43:36,084
I fought in World War I.
1249
01:43:36,251 --> 01:43:39,459
- They're all medals from WWI?
- That's right.
1250
01:43:39,959 --> 01:43:41,792
You must be a very brave man.
1251
01:43:41,959 --> 01:43:45,792
I followed the others. I did my duty.
1252
01:43:45,959 --> 01:43:49,626
When France was demobilised,
1253
01:43:50,667 --> 01:43:55,417
when France was defeated in the 2nd war,
how did you react?
1254
01:43:55,876 --> 01:43:58,501
We certainly weren't very happy.
1255
01:43:58,667 --> 01:44:04,209
As veterans of World War I,
the defeat affected us deeply.
1256
01:44:05,251 --> 01:44:09,251
Were there many Jewish stores?
1257
01:44:09,417 --> 01:44:11,167
Yes, there were.
1258
01:44:11,459 --> 01:44:13,334
So you must have seen a lot?
1259
01:44:13,501 --> 01:44:18,834
You could say that.
They all packed up their bags and left.
1260
01:44:19,001 --> 01:44:20,709
They went into exile.
1261
01:44:20,876 --> 01:44:23,792
And there weren't any arrests?
1262
01:44:23,959 --> 01:44:25,917
There were arrests everywhere.
1263
01:44:26,084 --> 01:44:27,667
And you saw them?
1264
01:44:27,834 --> 01:44:29,209
Yes, unfortunately.
1265
01:44:29,959 --> 01:44:36,334
Tell me, when what were called
"the Jewish decrees" came out,
1266
01:44:38,584 --> 01:44:41,542
apparently you took out an ad.
1267
01:44:41,709 --> 01:44:42,751
That's correct.
1268
01:44:43,792 --> 01:44:45,709
It was an ad in Le Moniteur.
1269
01:44:45,876 --> 01:44:47,959
You're certainly well-informed.
1270
01:44:49,001 --> 01:44:52,126
You see, sir, we were four brothers.
1271
01:44:52,126 --> 01:44:56,292
It was the solution I found,
as people thought we were Jews.
1272
01:44:56,292 --> 01:45:00,459
My name, Klein, sounds quite Jewish.
1273
01:45:01,501 --> 01:45:03,584
But I'm a Catholic.
1274
01:45:04,626 --> 01:45:09,667
And this was a real source of concern.
I had some problems because of that.
1275
01:45:09,834 --> 01:45:15,042
Four of my brothers fought in the war.
It was important that I tell people
1276
01:45:15,042 --> 01:45:17,126
that I am really French.
1277
01:45:18,167 --> 01:45:24,251
In other words, you wanted
your clients to know you weren't Jewish.
1278
01:45:24,417 --> 01:45:26,167
That is correct.
1279
01:45:26,501 --> 01:45:28,334
Why?
1280
01:45:28,584 --> 01:45:30,792
Because some said I was Jewish.
1281
01:45:30,959 --> 01:45:33,792
Jews were being arrested,
and they said we were Jewish.
1282
01:45:34,834 --> 01:45:37,959
Do you see?
I couldn't very well allow myself
1283
01:45:38,126 --> 01:45:41,084
to be labelled as a Jew
since I'm a Catholic.
1284
01:45:42,126 --> 01:45:46,292
So that's why, as you said,
I took out an ad.
1285
01:45:46,292 --> 01:45:50,459
Four of my brothers fought in the war.
One was killed.
1286
01:45:50,626 --> 01:45:56,542
- The other three were imprisoned.
- But Jews fought in World War I, too.
1287
01:45:56,709 --> 01:45:58,792
That's true. I realise that.
1288
01:45:58,792 --> 01:46:01,917
I've never been a racist.
1289
01:46:02,959 --> 01:46:06,084
Jewish or Mahometan,
all that mattered to me
1290
01:46:06,084 --> 01:46:09,209
was that the man did his duty,
1291
01:46:09,209 --> 01:46:12,334
in which case,
he was as French as the rest of us.
1292
01:46:12,334 --> 01:46:14,417
You understand?
1293
01:46:17,292 --> 01:46:20,501
You weren't high on the priority list
1294
01:46:20,667 --> 01:46:24,834
of those persecuted by Hitler's regime.
1295
01:46:25,001 --> 01:46:30,042
But did you know any Jews,
Communists, or Freemasons who were?
1296
01:46:30,209 --> 01:46:34,292
I met more Jews
than I'll ever meet again.
1297
01:46:34,459 --> 01:46:37,167
I had two girls working at the pharmacy,
1298
01:46:37,334 --> 01:46:42,542
who were considered to be evil
just because they were Jewish.
1299
01:46:42,709 --> 01:46:48,501
One was the daughter of an amazing man,
a Parisian polytechnician.
1300
01:46:48,667 --> 01:46:51,917
She was a pretty amazing girl herself.
1301
01:46:52,459 --> 01:46:56,834
The other was the daughter of Hirsch,
a colleague in Strasbourg.
1302
01:46:57,001 --> 01:47:00,084
Nobody wanted anything
to do with these girls.
1303
01:47:00,251 --> 01:47:06,417
He had warned every pharmacy
in Clermont not to hire these girls.
1304
01:47:06,876 --> 01:47:11,292
- Who is "he?"
- The pharmacy inspector.
1305
01:47:12,001 --> 01:47:16,751
The film industry gave them a chance
to steal billions of francs.
1306
01:47:16,917 --> 01:47:21,959
Tannenzaft, better known as Nathan,
who in the eyes of the world,
1307
01:47:22,126 --> 01:47:25,084
was the ultimate symbol
of French cinema,
1308
01:47:25,251 --> 01:47:30,001
has cost the public
nearly 700,000,000 francs.
1309
01:47:32,126 --> 01:47:38,167
Mr Pierre Mendés-France, did you enjoy
going to the cinema back then?
1310
01:47:38,334 --> 01:47:40,709
I went to the cinema
because I enjoyed it,
1311
01:47:40,876 --> 01:47:46,084
but I had yet another reason,
as I had quickly discovered
1312
01:47:46,251 --> 01:47:53,126
that cinemas provided a refuge
which was both fun and comfortable,
1313
01:47:53,376 --> 01:47:58,584
you could sit down in a cinema
at 3:00 in the afternoon,
1314
01:47:58,584 --> 01:48:02,751
and stay there in the darkness
for hours on end,
1315
01:48:02,751 --> 01:48:05,876
without anyone ever seeing you.
1316
01:48:06,709 --> 01:48:11,834
It was a great hiding place.
In many pre-war French films,
1317
01:48:12,001 --> 01:48:15,042
there were Jewish actors
or Jewish directors.
1318
01:48:15,251 --> 01:48:21,334
And in the credits of these films,
the Jewish names had been erased.
1319
01:48:21,501 --> 01:48:25,667
Today World News was able to film
a part of the trial
1320
01:48:25,834 --> 01:48:28,626
of the Jew Tannenzaft, Bernard Nathan.
1321
01:48:28,792 --> 01:48:35,042
Our presence clearly disturbed the
accused who wanted his privacy.
1322
01:48:35,209 --> 01:48:38,751
He raises an objection,
but is overruled by the court.
1323
01:48:57,209 --> 01:48:59,959
Go away. Leave me alone.
1324
01:49:00,126 --> 01:49:02,126
This is a tragedy, not a comedy!
1325
01:49:08,167 --> 01:49:14,001
The Germans were discreet about it,
but they wanted to see their films.
1326
01:49:14,209 --> 01:49:18,251
There were operettas.
There were the first films in colour.
1327
01:49:18,417 --> 01:49:24,459
Some, like La Ville Dorée,
weren't propaganda, others were.
1328
01:49:24,626 --> 01:49:28,792
Films like Le Juif Suss
were pure propaganda.
1329
01:49:29,042 --> 01:49:32,917
And the thing that
I found most revolting
1330
01:49:33,084 --> 01:49:36,209
was that they weren't
only German productions,
1331
01:49:36,376 --> 01:49:39,501
which would have been understandable
1332
01:49:39,667 --> 01:49:41,376
since they had occupied us,
1333
01:49:41,709 --> 01:49:47,959
but that they were made with the
blessing of the French authorities,
1334
01:49:48,126 --> 01:49:54,251
on behalf of French organisations,
dubbed by French actors.
1335
01:50:38,876 --> 01:50:44,959
The events in this film
are based on historical fact.
1336
01:50:45,251 --> 01:50:50,292
At first, audiences probably thought
these films were
1337
01:50:50,459 --> 01:50:53,126
just like any other German film.
1338
01:50:53,459 --> 01:50:56,542
But people very quickly began to realise
1339
01:50:56,709 --> 01:51:01,459
that it was just typical propaganda,
1340
01:51:01,626 --> 01:51:05,001
in the worst sense of the word.
1341
01:51:05,167 --> 01:51:09,834
This led to a kind of
strike among viewers.
1342
01:51:10,001 --> 01:51:14,042
Even those who weren't especially
interested in the Free French,
1343
01:51:14,209 --> 01:51:19,667
who had got into the habit
of seeing normal German films,
1344
01:51:20,667 --> 01:51:26,001
were extremely revolted
and refused to have any part in it.
1345
01:51:26,167 --> 01:51:29,876
Gentlemen,
this Jew's criminal record shows nothing
1346
01:51:30,042 --> 01:51:34,209
of the suffering of our people
during his tyranny.
1347
01:51:34,209 --> 01:51:40,459
This is why I give the floor to
the person who has suffered most.
1348
01:51:40,626 --> 01:51:45,334
I ask for nothing.
You are the judges, not me.
1349
01:51:45,542 --> 01:51:49,834
Please, Sturm, you are the one
with the most right to judge him.
1350
01:51:50,876 --> 01:51:52,959
It is not my decision to take.
1351
01:51:54,001 --> 01:51:57,126
Suffering is too subjective.
1352
01:51:58,167 --> 01:52:00,042
It would be unfair.
1353
01:52:00,251 --> 01:52:05,876
However, I see an ancient article
of criminal law which applies:
1354
01:52:06,501 --> 01:52:09,626
"If ever a Jew commits a sin...
1355
01:52:10,126 --> 01:52:14,459
"If ever a Jew commits a sin of
the flesh with a Christian woman,
1356
01:52:14,626 --> 01:52:17,751
"he shall be publicly hung
without further ado."
1357
01:52:18,042 --> 01:52:21,959
"If ever a Jew commits a sin of
the flesh with a Christian,
1358
01:52:22,126 --> 01:52:25,251
"he shall be publicly hung
without further ado,
1359
01:52:25,251 --> 01:52:30,459
"as punishment,
and as an example for all others."
1360
01:52:39,834 --> 01:52:43,001
Have mercy! I've done nothing wrong!
1361
01:52:43,167 --> 01:52:46,501
I've always acted in
the name of my saviour!
1362
01:52:49,209 --> 01:52:54,417
It's not my fault
that your duke wanted to betray you!
1363
01:52:58,376 --> 01:53:01,792
I can fix everything, I swear.
Everything!
1364
01:53:01,959 --> 01:53:06,626
Take all that I own. Take all my money.
But don't take my life!
1365
01:53:06,917 --> 01:53:09,667
I am innocent!
1366
01:53:09,834 --> 01:53:13,459
I'm just a poor Jew. Let me live.
1367
01:53:14,209 --> 01:53:15,584
I want to live!
1368
01:53:15,751 --> 01:53:18,959
I want to live! Live!
1369
01:53:34,001 --> 01:53:39,042
The State Council and I speak
for all Wurttembergers in decreeing
1370
01:53:39,209 --> 01:53:43,209
that all Jews must leave Wurttemberg
in the next three days.
1371
01:53:43,376 --> 01:53:47,042
This is valid across the entire country.
1372
01:53:47,209 --> 01:53:52,459
This decree has been taken in Stuttgart
on February 4, 1738.
1373
01:53:52,751 --> 01:53:56,667
May our descendants remember this,
1374
01:53:56,834 --> 01:54:01,667
for in doing so, they will spare
themselves much pain and suffering,
1375
01:54:01,917 --> 01:54:07,584
and will keep their blood pure
of the influence of this accursed race.
1376
01:54:10,126 --> 01:54:13,251
THE END
1377
01:54:18,459 --> 01:54:24,542
There were only certain people
who actually enjoyed Le Juif Suss,
1378
01:54:24,709 --> 01:54:29,917
the anti-Semites who saw
their beliefs confirmed in the film.
1379
01:54:30,959 --> 01:54:33,042
The collaborators would also see it.
1380
01:54:33,042 --> 01:54:37,209
Then there were those
who were taken by surprise.
1381
01:54:37,376 --> 01:54:44,334
I'd say that 80% of the people
who came to see Le Juif Suss
1382
01:54:44,501 --> 01:54:49,709
assumed it would be just like
any other light-hearted film.
1383
01:54:49,709 --> 01:54:52,834
The German films weren't
particularly good.
1384
01:54:54,917 --> 01:55:01,167
However,
they featured many French film stars,
1385
01:55:01,167 --> 01:55:07,417
as Continental had made
many French films before the war.
1386
01:55:07,417 --> 01:55:10,542
Tino Rossi and the like
filmed at Continental.
1387
01:55:11,584 --> 01:55:16,126
As an artistic endeavour,
several actors are off to Germany.
1388
01:55:16,292 --> 01:55:18,876
At the Gare de l'Est,
we've spotted Albert Préjean,
1389
01:55:20,959 --> 01:55:22,001
Danielle Darrieux,
1390
01:55:25,834 --> 01:55:27,042
Suzy Delair,
1391
01:55:27,376 --> 01:55:29,292
Junie Astor,
1392
01:55:35,542 --> 01:55:37,042
Viviane Romance.
1393
01:55:37,209 --> 01:55:42,584
Dr Karl Frohlich, president
of the German Cinema Corporation,
1394
01:55:42,751 --> 01:55:48,792
has invited them on a 12-day studio tour
of Vienna, Munich and Berlin.
1395
01:55:54,584 --> 01:56:00,376
Paris. The arrival of Mr Heydrich,
SS general, head of security,
1396
01:56:00,542 --> 01:56:05,584
the Reich's Prague representative, asked
by Mr Himmler, SS and police chief,
1397
01:56:05,751 --> 01:56:12,001
to officially install Mr Oberg
in his new post in occupied territory.
1398
01:56:13,042 --> 01:56:17,042
Mr Heydrich is president
of the International Criminal Police,
1399
01:56:17,209 --> 01:56:21,376
a commission to which
France has always belonged.
1400
01:56:24,501 --> 01:56:30,584
Mr Heydrich visited Mr Bousquet,
secretary general of the police,
1401
01:56:30,751 --> 01:56:33,876
and Mr Hiller,
secretary general of administration.
1402
01:56:37,001 --> 01:56:41,001
He also had a chance
to see Mr Dartier de Pellepoix,
1403
01:56:41,167 --> 01:56:45,334
in charge of Jewish Questions,
as well as Mr de Brinon.
1404
01:56:52,626 --> 01:56:54,709
What was Paris like back then?
1405
01:56:56,792 --> 01:56:58,876
There were two sides to Paris.
1406
01:56:58,876 --> 01:57:02,001
There were those struggling to survive,
1407
01:57:02,167 --> 01:57:05,126
and there was high society.
1408
01:57:06,167 --> 01:57:09,292
All we were missing was Régine.
1409
01:57:10,334 --> 01:57:12,417
There's no doubt about it.
1410
01:57:12,417 --> 01:57:15,542
Everyone's ashamed to say it today,
1411
01:57:15,542 --> 01:57:18,667
but for some, life in Paris was great.
1412
01:57:43,667 --> 01:57:48,876
Maxim's and Le Boeuf sur le Toit
did a booming business.
1413
01:57:49,917 --> 01:57:54,084
The film industry was in full swing.
1414
01:57:54,084 --> 01:57:59,292
From what I've heard,
actually, or so they say,
1415
01:57:59,292 --> 01:58:02,417
French films were so good then
1416
01:58:02,417 --> 01:58:07,626
because a certain category
of producers had fled to the States.
1417
01:58:08,667 --> 01:58:12,834
Many directors have gone on
to do very well in their careers,
1418
01:58:13,876 --> 01:58:15,959
but they forget what they said then.
1419
01:58:15,959 --> 01:58:19,084
Paris was a fun and crazy place.
1420
01:58:19,251 --> 01:58:26,334
Let me assure you that there were
some wild and crazy times back then.
1421
01:58:31,584 --> 01:58:34,542
All right, boys. This way.
1422
01:58:34,709 --> 01:58:39,917
We'll go straight to the source
to wet our whistles.
1423
01:58:43,042 --> 01:58:45,126
What happened to you in 1937?
1424
01:58:46,167 --> 01:58:49,292
You can't even begin to imagine.
1425
01:58:50,334 --> 01:58:53,292
- It's a long story.
- Be careful...
1426
01:58:53,459 --> 01:58:57,626
First give us a drink,
then we'll see what's up.
1427
01:58:57,626 --> 01:59:01,792
I think we're going
to earn our drink today.
1428
01:59:01,959 --> 01:59:07,001
- Is that red wine?
- Yes, it's as Red as I am.
1429
01:59:09,084 --> 01:59:11,001
So what happened in here?
1430
01:59:11,167 --> 01:59:13,251
This cellar has seen everything.
1431
01:59:14,292 --> 01:59:17,251
The Resistance in Auvergne began here.
1432
01:59:17,417 --> 01:59:22,626
The night the first weapons arrived,
we met in this very cellar,
1433
01:59:23,667 --> 01:59:27,667
and we sang the Internationale.
We weren't Communists,
1434
01:59:27,834 --> 01:59:33,042
but as Pétain sang the Marseillaise,
we had to sing the Internationale.
1435
01:59:35,126 --> 01:59:41,376
You see, people attended
the raising of the colours reluctantly.
1436
01:59:41,542 --> 01:59:43,292
- Yet they still came?
- They had no choke.
1437
01:59:43,459 --> 01:59:48,667
It is in times like those
when you begin to realise
1438
01:59:51,792 --> 01:59:53,876
what people are really like.
1439
01:59:54,917 --> 01:59:58,042
- How do you mean?
- They were scared stiff.
1440
01:59:59,084 --> 02:00:01,167
With only a few exceptions.
1441
02:00:01,334 --> 02:00:07,251
- Was it really a risk not to come?
- Risk or no risk, they still came.
1442
02:00:07,417 --> 02:00:11,584
- So they thought there was a risk?
- They thought so.
1443
02:00:15,751 --> 02:00:20,959
I was under the impression that
there were quite a few students here
1444
02:00:20,959 --> 02:00:25,126
who ardently supported
General de Gaulle.
1445
02:00:25,292 --> 02:00:29,917
For example,
there was the son of a colleague
1446
02:00:30,334 --> 02:00:33,459
whose name escapes me, among others.
1447
02:00:33,626 --> 02:00:35,542
What about among the teachers?
1448
02:00:36,584 --> 02:00:40,751
I really can't say
how many teachers supported him.
1449
02:00:40,751 --> 02:00:44,917
We were sympathetic
to the young people's cause,
1450
02:00:45,959 --> 02:00:51,167
but there wasn't the same enthusiasm...
1451
02:00:51,167 --> 02:00:55,334
the same enthusiasm
which was gaining momentum
1452
02:00:56,376 --> 02:00:58,459
among the young people.
1453
02:00:58,626 --> 02:01:02,626
Why do you think that is?
It often seems to be the case in life.
1454
02:01:03,667 --> 02:01:10,959
Young people are, in general,
more sincere and more dynamic.
1455
02:01:10,959 --> 02:01:13,042
They don't think things through.
1456
02:01:13,042 --> 02:01:17,209
I think it would be fair to say
that they are less cautious.
1457
02:01:18,251 --> 02:01:21,376
They are more open and friendly.
What do you think?
1458
02:01:21,542 --> 02:01:23,292
- They're not as scared.
- True.
1459
02:01:23,459 --> 02:01:30,751
Some of my students got caught.
1460
02:01:31,792 --> 02:01:34,917
I can't really say who.
Not so many, just a few of them.
1461
02:01:35,959 --> 02:01:40,126
In fact, many of them now have
streets named after them here.
1462
02:01:40,126 --> 02:01:42,209
There was Bacaud.
1463
02:01:42,376 --> 02:01:46,209
The street going to Fontgieve
is named after him.
1464
02:01:46,376 --> 02:01:50,542
- I taught this charming boy.
- He was in the Resistance?
1465
02:01:51,584 --> 02:01:53,667
These people,
1466
02:01:54,709 --> 02:01:57,834
as Dionnet was saying earlier,
had created a network.
1467
02:01:57,834 --> 02:02:00,959
We only found out about it later.
1468
02:02:00,959 --> 02:02:05,126
They continued to pretend
they were just your average students.
1469
02:02:06,167 --> 02:02:09,292
But we only found out about this later.
1470
02:02:09,459 --> 02:02:13,292
Perhaps Dionnet,
who was in the Resistance, knew.
1471
02:02:13,459 --> 02:02:15,376
What was it like for the others?
1472
02:02:15,542 --> 02:02:20,584
How did the others react
when someone's desk was empty?
1473
02:02:20,751 --> 02:02:24,917
I don't know. I can't remember.
1474
02:02:25,959 --> 02:02:28,917
When a student's parents were arrested,
1475
02:02:29,084 --> 02:02:35,167
and the son showed up at school
the next day, how did they react?
1476
02:02:35,334 --> 02:02:38,292
- I can't remember.
- How can you forget?
1477
02:02:38,459 --> 02:02:39,501
Can you remember?
1478
02:02:39,501 --> 02:02:41,584
No, I can't.
1479
02:02:41,584 --> 02:02:42,626
No specific examples.
1480
02:02:43,626 --> 02:02:46,626
I see some examples on the wall.
1481
02:02:46,792 --> 02:02:49,917
Those are our former students...
1482
02:02:49,917 --> 02:02:54,084
Aren't those the students
who died in World War I?
1483
02:02:54,251 --> 02:02:56,167
It says World War ll.
1484
02:02:58,251 --> 02:03:01,376
I'm trying to remember, but I can't.
1485
02:03:02,417 --> 02:03:05,542
Clermont-Ferrand is giving
Marshal Pétain a warm welcome.
1486
02:03:06,584 --> 02:03:10,751
He has come to approve
the constitution of the Peasants' Union,
1487
02:03:10,917 --> 02:03:14,917
and the end of the winter crusade
for National Aid.
1488
02:03:21,167 --> 02:03:25,334
The head of state will then receive
the donations to National Aid
1489
02:03:26,376 --> 02:03:28,459
brought by peasants
from all over the region.
1490
02:03:29,501 --> 02:03:34,542
It is a symbolic ceremony
for the French mutual aid campaign.
1491
02:03:35,334 --> 02:03:41,626
A great day for France as our hearts
beat together in collective hope.
1492
02:03:50,167 --> 02:03:53,501
END OF PART 1