On 17 June 1940, the day after taking the head of the government, Marshal Pétain addressed the French people by radio. The armistice had been requested but not yet negotiated or signed. Pétain had to choose the content and the tone of his address, at a moment when fighting was continuing and the armistice had not been concluded.
The stakes were considerable. To announce publicly and solemnly that "the fighting must cease" reassured an exhausted population and asserted authority, but risked demoralising troops who were still fighting and prompting them to lay down their arms before any agreement — easing the enemy's task. Waiting for the signature before speaking would have preserved combativeness to the very end.
Pétain could announce at once that the fighting must cease, to embody the recourse and the appeasement. To wait for the signing of the armistice before any speech, so as not to disarm the army prematurely. Or to call for holding on still, while awaiting the terms. His words would weigh on the morale of hundreds of thousands of combatants.
Should Pétain announce at once that the fighting must cease, wait for the signature, or call for holding on still?
Pétain chose A: on 17 June 1940, he declared "It is with a heavy heart that I tell you today that the fighting must cease" — when the armistice had not yet been signed. The address, widely broadcast, disorganised the resistance of many units who believed the war was over and laid down their arms, easing the German advance and increasing the number of prisoners in the days before the armistice of 22 June. The phrase, later qualified ("we are seeking to cease the fighting"), illustrates the role of a leader's words in the final collapse. It also marked the beginning of Pétain's aura as a "saviour" — an aura that would found the Vichy regime.
Learn more about this event
Related polls
10
The Massilia — Leaving for North Africa
Reynaud or Pétain — Carry On or the Armistice
Daladier asked to leave the War Ministry
De Gaulle joins the government — 5 June
Dunkirk: should the French be saved alongside the British?
The Empire — Vichy or de Gaulle
Huntziger in Foch's Carriage — 22 June
Mérignac — de Gaulle and Spears's aircraft
Pierlot at Limoges — from where to carry on?
Rethondes — Article 8 on the Fleet
The Massilia — Leaving for North Africa
Reynaud or Pétain — Carry On or the Armistice
Daladier asked to leave the War Ministry
De Gaulle joins the government — 5 June
Dunkirk: should the French be saved alongside the British?
The Empire — Vichy or de Gaulle
Huntziger in Foch's Carriage — 22 June
Mérignac — de Gaulle and Spears's aircraft
Pierlot at Limoges — from where to carry on?