The German wireless reported in a Vichy dispatch that Jews in effect were barred from Government positions by a decree issued yesterday by the French Government.
“This decree stipulates for the first time in the life of the French State that no foreigners or persons of another race may hold French Government posts,” the Berlin report said. “This amounts to elimination of Jews from Government posts.
“In the past, French high offices were occupied by foreigners who only for a few years had been Frenchmen. Native-born Frenchmen will guarantee the French nation more efficient departmental administration than hitherto, as foreigners and a racial minority are too often associated with groups other than those serving French interests exclusively.”
The decree applies to ministers, secretaries of state and other high officials, who must prove five years of service to the State, in addition to French birth.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
