Jacques de Bernonville
Encyclopedia
Jacques Charles Noel Duge de Bernonville (December 20, 1897 – April 26, 1972) was a French
collaborationist and senior police officer in the Vichy regime in France infamously known as the man who hunted down resistance fighters
during World War II
.
to an aristocratic family. Raised among Jesuits, he was imprisoned several months in 1938, accused of having taken part in La Cagoule
's conspiracy, a far right
terrorist group. However, he was released because of lack of proof.
Following the 1940 defeat of France
against Nazi Germany
, Jacques de Bernonville joined the Vichy government and was made in 1943 a commander of the Collaborationist Milice
. Working in conjunction with head of the Milice Joseph Darnand
, de Bernonville hunted down members of the French resistance movement who were almost always summarily executed [n.b., this is permitted under the Hague and Geneva conventions]. As a right-hand man to Klaus Barbie
(later convicted for crimes against humanity), he was a major participant in the establishment and enforcing of the Vichy regime's program of anti-Semitic policies that carried out the deportation of thousands of French Jews and other "undesirables" to the Drancy deportation camp en route to Auschwitz and other German extermination camps.
by a French War Crimes tribunal in Toulouse
, he was found guilty and condemned to death. Escaping French authorities in 1946, Jacques de Bernonville traveled to New York City and according to historians such as Kevin Henley, professor of history at Collège de Maisonneuve
in Montreal, the politically powerful Roman Catholic priest Lionel Groulx
helped de Bernonville get into Quebec. There, Jacques de Bernonville was welcomed by a significant number of the Quebec nationalist
elite but in 1948 Canadian immigration authorities discovered who he was and instituted deportation proceedings. In an attempt to keep de Bernonville in Canada, 143 Quebec notables signed a 1950 petition defending him and stating that he should be allowed to stay. Some of the signers included the secretary general of the Université de Montréal
, Camillien Houde
, mayor of the city of Montreal, plus two future cabinet ministers in the Parti Québécois
government, Camille Laurin
and Denis Lazure
.
Faced with a deportation order, Jacques de Bernonville fled again, this time going to Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
. In 1954 the French government was advised where he was, but since Brazil had no extradition
treaty with France, he escaped punishment. The Supreme Court of Brazil refused to extradite him in October 1957. Bernonville remained in Brazil until his murder in 1972 at the hands of his servant's son.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
collaborationist and senior police officer in the Vichy regime in France infamously known as the man who hunted down resistance fighters
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Until 1945
Count Jacques Dugé de Bernonville was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to an aristocratic family. Raised among Jesuits, he was imprisoned several months in 1938, accused of having taken part in La Cagoule
La Cagoule
La Cagoule , officially called Comité secret d'action révolutionnaire , was a violent French fascist-leaning and anti-communist group, active in the 1930s, and designed to attempt the overthrow of the French Third Republic...
's conspiracy, a far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
terrorist group. However, he was released because of lack of proof.
Following the 1940 defeat of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, Jacques de Bernonville joined the Vichy government and was made in 1943 a commander of the Collaborationist Milice
Milice
The Milice française , generally called simply Milice, was a paramilitary force created on January 30, 1943 by the Vichy Regime, with German aid, to help fight the French Resistance. The Milice's formal leader was Prime Minister Pierre Laval, though its chief of operations, and actual leader, was...
. Working in conjunction with head of the Milice Joseph Darnand
Joseph Darnand
Joseph Darnand was a French soldier and later a leader of the Vichy French collaborators with Nazi Germany....
, de Bernonville hunted down members of the French resistance movement who were almost always summarily executed [n.b., this is permitted under the Hague and Geneva conventions]. As a right-hand man to Klaus Barbie
Klaus Barbie
Nikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
(later convicted for crimes against humanity), he was a major participant in the establishment and enforcing of the Vichy regime's program of anti-Semitic policies that carried out the deportation of thousands of French Jews and other "undesirables" to the Drancy deportation camp en route to Auschwitz and other German extermination camps.
Post-war escape to Canada
With the liberation of France by the Allied Forces, de Bernonville was charged with war crimes but fled the country. Tried in absentiaIn absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by a French War Crimes tribunal in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, he was found guilty and condemned to death. Escaping French authorities in 1946, Jacques de Bernonville traveled to New York City and according to historians such as Kevin Henley, professor of history at Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve
Collège de Maisonneuve is a francophone Cégep pre-university and technical college located at 3800 Sherbrooke Street East in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.-Partnerships:...
in Montreal, the politically powerful Roman Catholic priest Lionel Groulx
Lionel Groulx
Lionel-Adolphe Groulx was a Roman Catholic priest, historian and Quebec nationalist. -Early life and ordination:Groulx was born at Chenaux, Quebec, Canada, the son of a farmer and lumberjack, and died in Vaudreuil, Quebec. After his seminary training and studies in Europe, he taught at Valleyfield...
helped de Bernonville get into Quebec. There, Jacques de Bernonville was welcomed by a significant number of the Quebec nationalist
Quebec nationalism
Quebec nationalism is a nationalist movement in the Canadian province of Quebec .-1534–1774:Canada was first a french colony. Jacques Cartier claimed it for France in 1534, and permanent French settlement began in 1608. It was part of New France, which constituted all French colonies in North America...
elite but in 1948 Canadian immigration authorities discovered who he was and instituted deportation proceedings. In an attempt to keep de Bernonville in Canada, 143 Quebec notables signed a 1950 petition defending him and stating that he should be allowed to stay. Some of the signers included the secretary general of the Université de Montréal
Université de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
, Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde
Camillien Houde was a Quebec politician, a Member of Parliament, and a four-time mayor of Montreal.-Political career:...
, mayor of the city of Montreal, plus two future cabinet ministers in the Parti Québécois
Parti Québécois
The Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
government, Camille Laurin
Camille Laurin
Camille Laurin was a psychiatrist and Parti Québécois politician in the province of Quebec, Canada. MNA member for the riding of Bourget, he is considered the father of Quebec's language law known informally as "Bill 101".-Biography:Born in Charlemagne, Quebec, Laurin obtained a degree in...
and Denis Lazure
Denis Lazure
Denis Lazure was a Canadian politician and a Member of the National Assembly of Quebec from 1976 to 1984 and from 1989 to 1996. -Background:...
.
Faced with a deportation order, Jacques de Bernonville fled again, this time going to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In 1954 the French government was advised where he was, but since Brazil had no extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
treaty with France, he escaped punishment. The Supreme Court of Brazil refused to extradite him in October 1957. Bernonville remained in Brazil until his murder in 1972 at the hands of his servant's son.
Additional reading
- The Bernonville Affair: A French War Criminal in Quebec After World War II – Yves Lavertu (1995) original French edition: L'affaire Bernonville: Le Québec face à Pétain et à la Collaboration (1948-1951) (1994).
- Unauthorized Entry: The Truth about Nazi War Criminals in Canada, 1946-1956 - Howard Margolian (2000)
See also
- CollaborationismCollaborationismCollaborationism is cooperation with enemy forces against one's country. Legally, it may be considered as a form of treason. Collaborationism may be associated with criminal deeds in the service of the occupying power, which may include complicity with the occupying power in murder, persecutions,...
- Pursuit of Nazi collaboratorsPursuit of Nazi collaboratorsThe pursuit of Nazi collaborators refers to the post-World War II pursuit and apprehension of individuals who were not citizens of the Third Reich at the outbreak of World War II and collaborated with the Nazi regime during the war...