Hostile French Civilians

As the Germans retreated from French cities they left behind them a considerable number of spies and snipers to hamper the advance of the Allied armies. Though these enemy agents wore civilian clothes and generally spoke fluent French they were part of the regular German army, and could be treated by our military authorities in accordance with well-established military precedent. French nationals believed to be in the pay of the Germans were turned over to the Fighting French forces of General De Gaulle for trial and punishment by courts martial. Whenever spies or snipers who were not French nationals were apprehended by Allied Intelligence officers, military police, soldiers, or by French civilian patriots, they were turned over to British or American military tribunals. The initial place of confinement depended upon the site of apprehension, and transfer was made to regular Prisoner of War camps as soon as the military situation permitted. At the Prisoner of War camps segregation was immediately instituted, and the prisoner committed to regular legal process in accordance with military law. This procedure was not novel, and did not in any way differ from similar situations in previous wars or in other theatres of operation. However there were many individuals of French nationality who were not in the pay of the Nazi military machine yet who committed acts which injured the Allied cause. These hostile French civilians, whether motivated by fear, finance, or Fascist belief, presented a new problem for Allied law-enforcement authorities. Collaborating with the Germans was not a crime. French civilians who obeyed German orders and complied with German demands could not be regarded as violators of any legal precept, even though they collaborated without reluctance. However in very many cases of collaboration there were additional acts which made the transgression more than morally reprehensible, and these illegalities brought the arrest of the responsible individuals. Among the political crimes committed by the French against their own administration Denunciation was the most common. It was a method of intimidation. A letter addressed to the local Gestapo chief naming certain persons as members of the underground, as owners of secret radios, or as being the perpetrators of certain acts of sabotage, brought immediate reprisals. The

Computer security · Political science · Communism, Protests, Social Movements · Computer Science · European history and politics · French Historical and Cultural Studies