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Laval and His Associates Personally Benefitting from “aryanization” of Jewish Enterprises

July 6, 1942
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Vichy Premier Pierre Laval and his Ambassador to Paris, Ferdinand de Brinon, are personally deriving substantial profit from the liquidation of Jewish businesses in France, the Lisbon correspondent of the French London daily, France, charges today.

His report declares that Laval designated Louis Darquier de Pellepoix as Commissar for Jewish Affairs because he is on such good personal terms with the present ruling hierarchy at Vichy that they can quietly settle among themselves their private gains from the transactions carried out under his control. Similar charges were made here this week against Paul Marion, State Secretary for Information, and M. Leroi-Leduris, brother of the Minister for Agriculture, both of whom are directly connected with the former Jewish banking house of Worms, which is now prospering.

Meanwhile, the Vichy radio today broadcast a decree handing over control of sixty more Jewish-owned enterprises to non-Jewish administrators. In a move to speed up the “aryanization” process, the Laval Government also announced that financial advances will be made “to assist regional direction of the economic aryanization” of six cities in the unoccupied section of the country.

A Free French broadcast from here today warned Jews and other French patriots against accepting anonymously-sent packages which arrive by post or otherwise. The Gestapo and the Vichy secret police send parcels containing arms to persons they wish to compromise, and then swoop down upon the victims when the parcels have been opened and arrest them on charges of illegal possession of arms, the Free French broadcaster revealed.

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