Philippe Henriot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary of State for Information and Propaganda | |
| In office 6 January 1944 – 28 June 1944 | |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 27 September 1932 – 31 May 1942 Serving with Georges Mandel | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Bergey |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Constituency | Gironde |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1889-01-07)7 January 1889 Reims, France |
| Died | 28 June 1944(1944-06-28) (aged 55) Paris, France |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Saint-André-et-Appelles |
| Party | |
| Parent |
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| Alma mater | Institut Catholique de Paris |
| Profession | Literature teacher Winemaker |
Philippe Henriot (7 January 1889 – 28 June 1944) was a French poet, journalist, politician, andNazi collaborator who served as Secretary of State for Information and Propaganda forVichy France. He was also a member of theChamber of Deputies from 1932 to 1942, representingGironde. Henriot was known for his influential speeches in support of collaborationism, which eventually led to his 1944 assassination by theFrench Resistance.
Philippe Henriot, a devout Roman Catholic, and poet who had written several books of poetry during the early 1920s,[1] became politically active during theRepublican Federation, and was elected to theThird Republic's Chamber of Deputies for theGirondedepartment in 1932 and 1936. He became "a committed member of the Catholic nationalist right".[2] By the mid-1930s his anti-republican prejudices made him a natural opponent of thePopular Front and his speeches showed him to beanti-communist,antisemitic,anti-Freemasonry, and against theparliamentary system. In 1936 Generalde Castelnau, the aristocratic leader of theNational Catholic Federation, described Henriot as "an ardent defender of religion, the family and society."[3] At the beginning of World War II, he was strongly anti-German. However, in 1941 Henriot began to supportNazi Germany after it invaded theSoviet Union inOperation Barbarossa, as he hoped for the defeat of communism, believing thatBolshevism was the enemy of Christianity.[4]
In 1940, after theArmistice of 22 June 1940 and France's surrender to Nazi Germany, Henriot became active as a journalist working for the French government headed byPhilippe Pétain which had moved toVichy. In December 1943 he was appointed Secretary of State for Information.[5] During his career he created programmes and broadcast throughRadio Paris, becoming the government's spokesman. He developed a war of propaganda against theFree French Forces and theBBC, whose spokesmen werePierre Dac andMaurice Schumann.
Seeking to shape the perceptions of the French government and German occupation, and to destroy popular support for theFrench Resistance, Henriot was given the nickname of the "FrenchGoebbels". He broadcast twice daily onRadio-Vichy, "repeatedly and eloquently attacking all those he considered lukewarm in their attitude to collaboration and calling on all good Catholics to support the German cause in the fight against communism."[4] He continued the propaganda programmes after the Germans decided, due to the new Allied presence in North Africa, to extend their military occupation in 1942 over Southern France, formerly theFree Zone controlled by the French government at Vichy.
Henriot warned the French people about any association with the Allies or "terrorists" (resistance groups) and countered the arguments of the Free French Forces broadcasting from the BBC.[6] He wrote and delivered 270 broadcasts on Radio Vichy in a "mesmerising rhetoric and delivery" ... as a "huge media star", according to one source.[7] "There is no doubt Henriot's broadcasts were influential, attracting a large and diverse audience."[4]
It was said that "Henriot is listened to by everyone, enemies or supporters. Families shift their meal times so as not to miss him. There is no-one left in the street at the time he speaks."[8] On 6 January 1944, Henriot was appointed as the French Minister of Information and Propaganda.[9]
In 1943, Henriot joined theMilice paramilitary "with a deep-seated conviction that Christian civilisation was engaged in a life and death struggle against Bolshevism."[5]
Henriot was a natural target for the French Resistance,[4] and on 28 June 1944, in the Ministry building where he lived, he was assassinated by a group of COMAC members of theMaquis, an organisation designated by the Vichy government as "terrorists". Disguised as members of the Milice, they had persuaded him to open his door.[10] In retaliation, the Milice murderedGeorges Mandel, a strong opponent ofcollaboration and others. Henriot was afforded a state funeral in Paris, presided over byCardinal Suhard inNotre Dame Cathedral.[11] His coffin was placed, surrounded by French flags and flowers, in front of theHôtel de Ville, where thousands filed past to mourn him[12] – less than two months before theLiberation of Paris.
