The Vichy Conspiracy

In 1940, did French elites roll out the welcome mat for Nazi Germany?

Adolf Hitler and a Nazi entourage stroll beneath the Eiffel Tower while sightseeing after conquering the Republic of France, June 1940. (Heinrich Hoffmann / Getty Images)

A theory goes back to World War II, when German troops swept into France and a pro-Nazi government was established at the spa town of Vichy, a haunt of the privileged classes. Henry Chavin, head of the Vichy police, wrote a report claiming the existence of a conspiracy within the French elite to welcome a […]

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