The Hunt for Nazi Spies : Fighting Espionage in Vichy France

From 1940 to 1942, French secret agents arrested more than two thousand spies working for the Germans and executed several dozen of them—all despite the Vichy government’s declared collaboration with the Third Reich. A previously untold chapter in the history of World War II, this duplicitous activity is the gripping subject of The Hunt for Nazi Spies, a tautly narrated chronicle of the Vichy regime’s attempts to maintain sovereignty while supporting its Nazi occupiers.Simon Kitson informs this remarkable story with findings from his investigation—the first by any historian—of thousands of Vichy documents seized in turn by the Nazis and the Soviets and returned to France only in the 1990s. His pioneering detective work uncovers a puzzling paradox: a French government that was hunting down left-wing activists and supporters of Charles de Gaulle’s Free French forces was also working to undermine the influence of German spies who were pursuing the same Gaullists and resisters. In light of this apparent contradiction, Kitson does not deny that Vichy France was committed to assisting the Nazi cause, but illuminates the complex agendas that characterized the collaboration and shows how it was possible to be both anti-German and anti-Gaullist. Combining nuanced conclusions with dramatic accounts of the lives of spies on both sides, The Hunt for Nazi Spies adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the French predicament under German occupation and the shadowy world of World War II espionage. (20080224)

From 1940 to 1942, French secret agents arrested more than two thousand spies working for the Germans and executed several dozen of them—all despite the Vichy government’s declared collaboration with the Third Reich. A previously untold chapter in the history of World War II, this duplicitous activity is the gripping subject of The Hunt for Nazi Spies, a tautly narrated chronicle of the Vichy regime’s attempts to maintain sovereignty while supporting its Nazi occupiers.

Simon Kitson informs this remarkable story with findings from his investigation—the first by any historian—of thousands of Vichy documents seized in turn by the Nazis and the Soviets and returned to France only in the 1990s. His pioneering detective work uncovers a puzzling paradox: a French government that was hunting down left-wing activists and supporters of Charles de Gaulle’s Free French forces was also working to undermine the influence of German spies who were pursuing the same Gaullists and resisters. In light of this apparent contradiction, Kitson does not deny that Vichy France was committed to assisting the Nazi cause, but illuminates the complex agendas that characterized the collaboration and shows how it was possible to be both anti-German and anti-Gaullist.

Combining nuanced conclusions with dramatic accounts of the lives of spies on both sides, The Hunt for Nazi Spies adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the French predicament under German occupation and the shadowy world of World War II espionage.

New York Sun

"Mr. Kitson's book is a flawless piece of professional history: original, thorough, subtle, appropriately measured. It has been and will continue to be admired for these reasons alone. There is also much to interest the contemporary student of intelligence, particularly in Mr. Kitson's discussion of a counterintelligence bureaucracy 'weakened by puerile rivalries.' It may, however, be overlooked by readers of popular fiction. It shouldn't be. A reader willing mentally to supply just a few lines of dialogue here and there will find between the lines of this book a dark and cynical spy novel filled with all the wretchedness of human nature, one all the more disturbing for being true."—Claire Berlinski, New York Sun

— Claire Berlinski

From 1940 to 1942, French secret agents arrested more than two thousand spies working for the Germans and executed several dozen of them—all despite the Vichy government’s declared collaboration with the Third Reich. A previously untold chapter in the history of World War II, this duplicitous activity is the gripping subject of __The Hunt for Nazi Spies__, a tautly narrated chronicle of the Vichy regime’s attempts to maintain sovereignty while supporting its Nazi occupiers. Simon Kitson informs this remarkable story with findings from his investigation—the first by any historian—of thousands of Vichy documents seized in turn by the Nazis and the Soviets and returned to France only in the 1990s. His pioneering detective work uncovers a puzzling paradox: a French government that was hunting down left-wing activists and supporters of Charles de Gaulle’s Free French forces was also working to undermine the influence of German spies who were pursuing the same Gaullists and resisters. In light of this apparent contradiction, Kitson does not deny that Vichy France was committed to assisting the Nazi cause, but illuminates the complex agendas that characterized the collaboration and shows how it was possible to be both anti-German and anti-Gaullist. Combining nuanced conclusions with dramatic accounts of the lives of spies on both sides, __The Hunt for Nazi Spies__ adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the French predicament under German occupation and the shadowy world of World War II espionage. Cover......Page 1 THE HUNT FOR NAZI SPIES: Fighting Espionage in Vichy France......Page 4 ISBN-10: 0226438937......Page 5 CONTENTS......Page 6 PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDITION......Page 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 12 GLOSSARY AND ABBREVIATIONS......Page 14 CHRONOLOGY OF WORLD WAR II FRANCE......Page 18 Map 1. France’s départements......Page 21 Map 2. Zones of occupation in France......Page 22 INTRODUCTION......Page 24 1 Organizing German Espionage......Page 30 2 Becoming a Spy......Page 50 3 The Structures of French Counterespionage......Page 66 4 Secret Service Ambiguities......Page 80 5 Everyday Counterespionage......Page 110 6 The Fate of the Spies......Page 134 7 Understanding Vichy’s Policy......Page 160 Conclusion......Page 180 NOTES......Page 188 Bibliography......Page 228 Index......Page 232 University Of Chicago Press Cover 1 THE HUNT FOR NAZI SPIES: Fighting Espionage in Vichy France 4 ISBN-10: 0226438937 5 CONTENTS 6 PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDITION 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 12 GLOSSARY AND ABBREVIATIONS 14 CHRONOLOGY OF WORLD WAR II FRANCE 18 Map 1. France’s départements 21 Map 2. Zones of occupation in France 22 INTRODUCTION 24 1 Organizing German Espionage 30 2 Becoming a Spy 50 3 The Structures of French Counterespionage 66 4 Secret Service Ambiguities 80 5 Everyday Counterespionage 110 6 The Fate of the Spies 134 7 Understanding Vichy’s Policy 160 Conclusion 180 NOTES 188 Bibliography 228 Index 232 ISBN-13:,9780226438931 From 1940 to 1942, French secret agents arrested more than 2000 spies working for the Germans and executed several dozen of them, all despite the Vichy government's declared collaboration with the Third Reich. This is a narrated chronicle of the Vichy regime's attempts to maintain sovereignty while supporting its Nazi occupiers A comprehensive history of the French Vichy government's attempt to maintain its sovereignty while at the same time supporting Nazi Germany during World War II; and describes how they worked to undermine the influence of German spies as well as hunt down member's of the Free French