Background
Bernard Ménétrel was born on June 22, 1906. His father, Louis, was the physician and personal friend of Philippe Pétain. Like his father, Ménétrel became the physician and advisor to Marshall Philippe Pétain.
Bernard Ménétrel was born on June 22, 1906. His father, Louis, was the physician and personal friend of Philippe Pétain. Like his father, Ménétrel became the physician and advisor to Marshall Philippe Pétain.
He met with Helmut Knochen and tried to negotiate with Charles de Gaulle on Pétain"s behalf. According to renowned American political scientist Raul Hilberg in The Destruction of the European Jews, on June 18, 1943, Ménétrel met Helmut Knochen, the senior commander of the Sicherheitspolizei (Security Police) and Sicherheitsdienst (Intelligence) in Paris. He told him Pétain agreed to keep French Jews from having access to good jobs.
He added that he agreed with the Nazis" monstrous goal of ridding Europe of the Jews "forever." According to Annie Pétain, Philippe Pétain"s wife, Ménétrel was one of the biggest antisemites in Pétain"s inner circle.
In July 1942, Ménétrel and Paul Racine, Pétain"s personal secretary, appreciated the "good work" that François Mitterrand was doing for the Vichy government. (Mitterrand later served as the President of France from 1981 to 1995).
In 1944, Ménétrel was asked by Pétain to contact General Charles de Gaulle and attempt to negotiate with him, to no avail. Ménétrel made a point to portray Pétain as a weak man manipulated by Pierre Laval.
He died on March 31, 1947.