Radio Propaganda and Public Opinion Under Endgame Vichy: The Impact of Philippe Henriot

摘要

Rarely has propaganda played as powerful a role as in the theatre of war of 1939–1945, when a sustained psychological battle was fought between the Allies on the one hand, and Vichy and Berlin on the other, with radio as its principal and most potent weapon. This article offers the first wide-ranging assessment of the influence of Philippe Henriot, Vichy's infamous secrétaire d’État à l’Information et à la Propagande from January to June 1944, whose voice haunted the airwaves during the regime's final, most disreputable phase. It examines his efforts to connect with and shape public opinion across his entire period in office in 1944, and assembles and assesses a cross-section of responses to his endeavours. It thereby aims not only to enhance our understanding of the ways in which Henriot's propaganda operated and was received, but also to advance our knowledge of the state of public opinion in France during the last months of the Vichy regime.