Welcome to The Canadian Vichy Intercepts
Explore over 13,000 declassified diplomatic telegrams intercepted and deciphered by Canada's Examination Unit during the Second World War. This unique collection reveals Vichy France's wartime diplomacy through SECRET-classified communications between Washington, Vichy, Ottawa, and other diplomatic posts from 1941 to 1945.
These documents—once classified SECRET and now digitized for the first time—offer unprecedented insights into international diplomacy, cryptographic intelligence, and Canada's early signals intelligence capabilities during a critical period of world history.
Collection at a Glance
13,847 Documents | 1941–1945 | 5 Microfilm Reels | French & English
- First civilian cryptographic operations in Canadian history
- Diplomatic correspondence between major Allied and Axis powers
- Successful code-breaking achievements against German, Japanese, and Vichy French ciphers
- Women comprised 40% of the Examination Unit staff
- Originally classified SECRET, now fully declassified
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What You'll Discover
Vichy France's Diplomatic Strategy
Communications revealing negotiations with both Axis and Allied powers during France's occupation, exposing the complex diplomatic balancing act of the Vichy regime.
Canada's Intelligence Capabilities
Documentation of the Examination Unit's operations—Canada's first civilian cryptographic bureau—and its successful decryption of major power diplomatic codes.
Wartime International Relations
Diplomatic exchanges illuminating relationships between Washington, London, Vichy, and other capitals during 1941-1945, a period of shifting alliances and strategic negotiations.
Cryptographic History
Evidence of code-breaking techniques, cipher systems, and the technological evolution of signals intelligence during the Second World War.
Featured Documents
Telegrams from November 1942
Communications regarding the Allied landings in North Africa and Vichy's response
Washington-Vichy Negotiations
Series of diplomatic exchanges between US and Vichy representatives
High-Priority Classifications
Documents marked with special handling instructions and priority routing
Historical Context
In June 1940, following France's military defeat, Marshal Philippe Pétain's Vichy government established diplomatic relations with both Allied and Axis powers. Canada's newly formed Examination Unit—operating from Ottawa under the National Research Council—intercepted and successfully deciphered these diplomatic communications, providing crucial intelligence to Allied forces.
The telegrams in this collection document a regime caught between collaboration and resistance, revealing the diplomatic reality behind official statements and the complex pressures faced by a government under occupation.
Read more about the historical context →
About This Collection
This digital collection was created through advanced OCR processing of microfilm reels T-17425 through T-17429 held at Library and Archives Canada available on Canadiana.
Project Creator: Vincent Martin-Schreiber, University of Ottawa, Canada
Academic Advisor: Florian Mathieu, Université Paris-Saclay, France
Source Materials: Library and Archives Canada / Canadiana
Learn more about the project → | View the bibliography →
How to Use This Collection
For Historians & Researchers
Full-text search across all documents, browse by date and location, download individual telegrams, export metadata for analysis.
For Students
Explore primary source materials on WWII diplomacy, Vichy France, and intelligence history. See featured documents and curated examples.
For Genealogists
Search for names of diplomatic personnel, consular staff, and individuals mentioned in communications.
For Data Scientists
Access structured metadata, analyze communication patterns, study network relationships. Access raw data.
Quick Statistics
- Total Documents: 13,847 telegrams
- Date Range: 1941-1945
- Languages: Primarily French, with English translations
Citation
When citing this collection, please use:
Martin-Schreiber, V & Mathieu, F (2025). The Canadian Vichy Intercepts: Intercepted Vichy Diplomatic Telegrams, The Canadian Examination Unit Collection, 1941–1945. University of Ottawa. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/examination-unit
For individual documents, use the citation information provided on each item page.
Contact & Contribute
This is an active digital humanities project. Researchers interested in contributing, for example in improving OCR transcriptions, enriching metadata, or contributing analysis are welcome.
Project Lead: Vincent Martin-Schreiber
Institution: University of Ottawa