Philippe Henriot

France state institutions Fascists and Nazis Counter-revolutionary forces 1889–1944 ✕ Shot by the Resistance

Catholic Federation orator who became the voice of Vichy radio and its secretary of state for propaganda

On Radio-Paris on 10 May 1944 he attacked his chief opponent on London radio, Pierre Dac, for his Jewish origins. Dac answered the next day that Henriot's grave would read "Died for Hitler, shot by the French". Forty-eight days later Henriot was shot dead.

Born in Reims, he taught at a Catholic school and in 1924 became director of L'Action catholique in Bordeaux and joined the National Catholic Federation (FNC), making his name as one of its touring speakers. Elected deputy for the Gironde in 1932, he spoke as vice-president of the Republican Federation against communists, Jews, Freemasons and parliament. He voted full powers to Pétain in July 1940 and turned pro-German after Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. From 1942 he defended collaboration on state radio, joined the Milice in 1943 and in January 1944 became secretary of state for information and propaganda. On 28 June 1944 a Resistance commando shot him dead inside the ministry.