The Invisible Masters of the Occupation: At the Heart of the Knochen Case: Head of German Intelligence in France

More than 145,000 convictions were handed down after the Liberation for acts of collaboration. Virtually all of those convicted—both French and German—were pardoned after the war. On November 24, 1962, General de Gaulle even went so far as to pardon Helmut Knochen, head of German intelligence and police, one of the principal architects of the repression and executions during the Occupation.

Drawing on the Knochen file and an exceptional volume of documents from interrogations, SD archives, and Allied intelligence services, Frédéric Charpier uncovers a vast system of espionage, infiltration, and influence at the heart of French society. He recounts hundreds of stories of collaborators, informants, industrialists, police officers, journalists, socialite adventurers, and double agents—before, during, and after the Occupation. A list of 500 names is included in the manuscript’s index.

Throughout this gripping investigation, another history of occupied France emerges: that of the men behind the scenes who governed the country and who, for the most part, evaded justice.