Background
He was born in Paris, the son of a businessman.
He was born in Paris, the son of a businessman.
He graduated as an army engineer and in 1938 began to teach as a professor in Saint Cyr military academy.
Capt Dewavrin was 28 years old when he joined de Gaulle in London on 1 July 1940. Promoted to major, he became one of de Gaulle’s closest collaborators. Major Dewavrin first headed both the 2d and 3d divisions of the French general staff in London but soon restricted his duties to the Deuxieme Bureau, military intelligence. Adopting the code name “Passy" from the Paris metro station he quickly expanded his responsibilities to include unconventional warfare and clandestine operations. His office evolved by Aug 42 into the Bureau Central de Renseigne- ments et d'Action (BCRA), responsible not only for intelligence but resistance as well. Described as “cool, stcely-eyed and efficient . . . fearless, cultivated and intelligent”. Dewavrin has been accused of heading a Gestapo or KGB. One victim was Adm Muslier.
Dewavrin jumped into Normandy on 23 Feb 1943 with his deputy, Pierre Brossolette, and Yeo-Thomas. Before returning by Lysander to London on 16 April the emissaries accomplished the seemingly impossible mission of locating the many scattered resistance groups and persuading them to accept de Gaulle's authority in a secret army that, when the time came, could support Allied liberation forces. Jean Moulin followed through by pulling together eight major resistance movements including the communists. But the Germans had penetrated the resistance and promptly arrested Delestraint (9 June 1943) and Jean Moulin (21 June 1943), negating these triumphs.
A few months later, Dewavrin’s organization was fused with the French army’s conventional secret services to become the DGSS (la Direction general des services speciaux), operating under Jacques Soustelle. During the period Nov 43-Mar 1944 Lt Col Dewavrin was Sous- telle’s technical advisor in Algiers. As the liberation of France approached. Dewavrin became CofS to Koenig, who headed the French Forces of the Interior (FF1). In Feb 1945 Dewavrin succeeded Soustelle as head of the DGER (Direction general des eludes et recherches), which had succeeded the DGSS in Oct 1944.
Dewavrin ended his intelligence work in Jan 1946 when de Gaulle quit as head of government. Having risen to full colonel, he retired several months later.