| Tango01 | 28 Dec 2015 2:57 p.m. PST |
"France will throw open access to police and legal archives drawn from one of the country's darkest hours, when the Vichy regime collaborated with Nazi occupiers during World War II, authorities said Sunday. Starting Monday the archives can be "freely consulted" by the civil service, citizens and researchers "subject to the declassification of documents covered by national defence secrecy rules," according to a decree. The Vichy regime, led by World War I hero Philippe Petain, collaborated with the invading German army from 1940-1944…"
Full article here
link Amicalement
Armand |
| Ironwolf | 28 Dec 2015 3:57 p.m. PST |
I still find it hard to understand why after all these years. Archives like these have not all been opened for the public and researchers. |
| guineapigfury | 28 Dec 2015 7:37 p.m. PST |
They haven't been opened until now, because by now any collaborators are in their 90s, 100s or the grave. There is little risk of someone taking revenge at this point. More importantly from a politician's point of view, there is virtually no risk of having someone active in your party exposed as a collaborator. Into the 1980s, it is quite possible that you still had collaborators in government assuming they were in their 20s during the war. If you're a politician and it could cost you an election, why take a chance? |
| Kevin C | 28 Dec 2015 7:59 p.m. PST |
When are the Germans going to release all of those East German documents? |
| BobGrognard | 28 Dec 2015 9:07 p.m. PST |
You don't need to look far to find collaboration at the highest level in France. President Mitterrand, in office until 1995, had been a Vichy civil servant and had floral tributes put on Petain's grave every year during his presidency. France never faced up to the issue of collaboration, De Gaulle preferred to adopt the mythical position that all of France had resisted in its own way rather than create divisions in society. It's a myth which served a purpose. |
 ochoin  | 28 Dec 2015 9:28 p.m. PST |
BobGrognard is entirely correct in the above post IMO. But to be fair to 1940 France, it was a country defeated & split in two. It needed to conveniently ignore some harsh truths to find healing. Certainly, some French people chose the wrong course (!!) but in order to put the country back together again post 1944, it would have done no good to root too thoroughly into the issue. I believe the majority of out and out war criminals met justice but if many minor "rats" escaped, it may have been for the greater good. What I've written is controversial, I know. I wonder if any other country, Britain included, would have been keen to antiseptically clean themselves if they'd been in France's place? I believe it's called 'Realpolitik'. |
| tberry7403 | 28 Dec 2015 9:54 p.m. PST |
What is amazing to me is that people KEEP records like that around. Never write if you can speak.
Never speak if you can nod.
Never nod if you can wink. |
| Tango01 | 28 Dec 2015 11:23 p.m. PST |
Talking with people who still live in those days, or have close parents who did … would call your attention that in some parts of France … people still comment about the good attitude and discipline of the German army of occupation … and au contraire … bad memories for the heavy casualties by the Allied aviation and the not so good performance of certain Allied troops (though in the movies they always show the French celebrating with fervor and offering wine to the US troops) … there were several women who come to fight and gave their lives … in defense of her German lovers / boyfriends … don't remember that happened in other ocupied countries like Italy for example… without doubt there were a great amount of french nazis… Amicalement
Armand |
| ochoin | 29 Dec 2015 12:31 a.m. PST |
Armand: there's no honour at all in fighting for the Germans in WW2. |
| Temporary like Achilles | 29 Dec 2015 10:16 a.m. PST |
Ochoin, say that to Rommel. |
| Tango01 | 29 Dec 2015 12:52 p.m. PST |
Of course not my friend… I only point what some (many)french think on those days… au contraire what De Gaulle tried to show… (smile) Amicalement
Armand |
| Shardik | 29 Dec 2015 2:16 p.m. PST |
It's very easy for people who were never in that situation to judge those who were. Remember that the army was defeated and the country was occupied by a vicious genocidal regime. Are you going to quit your job as a government worker and run to the hills to join the resistance, leaving your wife and children to fend for yourselves? Or are you going to keep your head down and not make waves, and then be called a collaborator? |
| ochoin | 29 Dec 2015 9:22 p.m. PST |
Shardik makes good points. BTW I've never been a fan of Rommel or any Nazi.
My uncles fought him & his ilk. They had honour. |
finds a personal connection to WWII.