A rare publication in praise of Pierre Laval – the Prime Minister of France and chief architect of the Holocaust of ...

A rare publication in praise of Pierre Laval – the Prime Minister of France and chief architect of the Holocaust of French Jewry

Qui est PIERRE LAVAL – Who Is Pierre Laval – Paris [1943] – A rare publication glorifying the Prime Minister of France during the Vichy regime, who led a policy of full collaboration with Adolf Hitler and was the principal figure responsible for the Holocaust of French Jewry. Published by his supporters, who viewed the Nazis as loyal allies.

“This little book has only one goal: to reveal Pierre Laval to the French people as he truly is—something he has never taken the time to do himself” (from the foreword).

A rare publication glorifying Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of France during the Vichy regime, aimed at legitimizing the alliance he forged with Nazi Germany. Issued in occupied France by pro-Nazi organizations and their affiliates, its purpose was to portray Laval as a man of peace and to present his collaboration with Hitler as a necessary measure to “spare French soldiers from dying on the battlefield.”

The booklet portrays Laval as an enlightened figure from his early years, a man of national responsibility who cared first and foremost for the French nation and was untouched by any personal interest. It documents his political career with admiration, describing how, even in his early days as a lawyer, he served the French public by promoting laws on social insurance and family allowances as part of his "deep commitment to social justice." His actions in the 1930s are presented as sincere efforts to bring prosperity and peace to France, and to prevent the outbreak of World War II in 1939. The alliance he forged with Nazi Germany is described as a humanitarian gesture to avoid battlefield casualties: "He could not bear the thought of young men from both nations dying on the battlefield, " it states. The booklet also quotes Laval’s own words in praise of the alliance with Hermann Göring, after an emotional meeting between the two on the eve of the war. On Laval’s collaboration with Nazi Germany, the booklet cites his own declaration: “As for collaboration, it is merely a material term, a political, economic, even military means of preserving our territory and our empire. But the higher and nobler aim is reconciliation between the French and German peoples. For me, only this aim matters.” His opponents are described as enemies of peace: “Communists, socialists, and radicals joining forces to force the Prime Minister to resign.”

Throughout the booklet, various photographs of Laval appear, showing him at different diplomatic events during his years in public service. One page features a photo from his October 1940 meeting with Adolf Hitler—where Laval pledged his full cooperation.

Pierre Laval [1883–1945] was a French politician who served three times as Prime Minister of France, the last during the Vichy regime. As both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Laval pursued an independent, pro-German policy. Toward the Jews, Laval was one of the chief persecutors, collaborators, and instigators within the antisemitic Vichy regime. He unleashed the French militia (Milice) against Jews and conducted a wide-scale manhunt to locate and deport them to extermination in the East. He even promoted the deportation of children under the age of 16 along with their parents to concentration camps, supposedly in the name of "keeping families together" - a policy implemented as early as the deportations from Paris. After the liberation of France from Nazi occupation at the end of World War II, Laval was tried for collaboration with the Nazis, sentenced to death, and executed.

Extremely rare. Only one copy recorded in the WorldCat global library catalog, held in a library in France.

25 pages. Very good condition.