Thursday, September 22, 2005
The World is incredulous at the historical illiteracy of the French Foreign Minister...
Haaretz: Haaretz investigates French FM's faux pas at Yad Vashem
The minister apparently was not content with this answer, which, according to the magazine, was given by the museum curator, and persisted, asking: "Yes, but were there no Jews who were deported from England?"...
...One of the escorts confirmed on Sunday, on condition of anonymity, that the quotes in Le Canard were accurate, and that they caused great embarrassment. "It's a bit difficult to understand," the source said, "how an educated French person, who was serving in the French government during the huge celebrations of the Normandy landings, does not remember basic facts about the history of World War II, and especially Britain's role, especially in light of the fact, that France's great leader, General de Gaulle, led the operations of the Resistance from exile in London."...
Yet, perhaps not so difficult to understand coming from a Frenchman. At risk of exposing my own ignorance, but as I understand it, Vichy was never "conquered," yet still, they deported their Jews.
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, p.44
Maybe he just assumed that--although England was on the other side--they would join their continental neighbors in this unparalleled opportunity to get rid of their Jews.