Reel 17427 - Page 1729

Dublin Core

Title

Reel 17427 - Page 1729

Description

Quality Score: unknown
Needs Review: No
OCR Confidence: 0%
Character Count: 1934
Word Count: 352

Source

https://image-uab.canadiana.ca/iiif/2/69429%2Fc04j09x38070/full/max/0/default.jpg

Date

1941/1945

Rights

Public Domain

Format

image/jpeg

Language

fra

Text Item Type Metadata

Text

# TOP SECRET

From: Berne (JARDIN)

To: Ankara

Aug. 24, 1944

FAV

No. - (4 part message complete)

On 11 August 1944 at Vichy, President LAVAL in the presence of Mr. ROCHAT, said to the head of a foreign mission at Vichy:

"They want to put the Marshal and me in a safe place. I shall yield only to force but when that happens, the violence which is used on me will oblige me to lay down my office as Head of the Government. I shall under no circumstances go to Vittel, to Nancy, or to Germany. I shall not flee to a foreign country, for I want above all to avoid civil war. You may be sure that aside from my sojourns in Paris I shall not leave Vichy except by force. If that happens I shall simply be a prisoner. It is necessary that your Government know this. If I am able to inform you of what is going to happen I shall do so. If I am not able to do so you know what to believe."

On 20 August 1944, the Marshal sent Chancellor HITLER a statement saying that since the Armistice he had never left national territory: "They are attempting to constrain me by violence to leave it; I raise a solemn protest against this act of force."

On the night of Saturday to Sunday, the 20th, at seven o'clock in the morning the door of the Marshal's bedroom at the Hotel DU PARC was forced open by the Germans and the Marshal left Vichy at eight o'clock in the morning (accompanied by Mr. ROCHAT, Secretary General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Doctor MENETREL, General BRIDGES, Minister for War, General DE LESERT, Chief of the Marshal's military cabinet, and Admiral HUMANT, Secretary for Navy and Colonies).

The diplomatic corps with the exception of the Japanese Ambassador unanimously refused to join the Marshal at Belfort. The Marshal through his calm and his dignity has commanded the admiration of all, including the F.F.I.

As PETAIR and President LAVAL were carried off by force

File 2-2340

(continued)

Examination Unit