Arthur Dallidet

World War II began when the German invasion of Poland was launched on 1 September 1939. The Soviet army invaded eastern Poland on 17 September.[7] Dallidet visited Moscow in mid-September 1939.[3] He met Georgi Dimitrov in Moscow on 16 September, and met André Marty and Dimitrov on 18 September.[8] He went underground after the dissolution of the PCF on 26 September 1939, and worked with Benoît Frachon to establish the first clandestine structures, acting as secretary of the clandestine organization. Using the records he had preserved from before the war, he managed to reorganize the party despite arrests, mobilizations and the departure of militants who rejected the Soviet pact with the Nazis.[9] Dallidet took the pseudonym "Emile".[10] In November 1939 Pierre Georges put Paul Maertens (1907–63) in touch with Dallidet, who gave Maertens national responsibility for production and distribution of matériel.[11]

After Germany invaded France and the defense collapsed, on 12 June 1940 Arthur Dallidet, Jeanjean, Georgette Cadras, Jeannette Tétard and Claudine Chomat left Paris for the south and met Benoit Frachon in Haute-Vienne. Dallidet based himself in Toulouse and bicycled around the area to renew his contacts.[12] After the armistice of 22 June 1940 the PCF leaders denounced the imperialist war, called for peace and concentrated on opposition to the Vichy government.[13] Frachon and Dallidet did not return to Paris until around 15 August 1940.[14][lower-alpha 3] Negotiations with the Germans had stalled and a directive of the Communist International had told them to cease, signed by Maurice Thorez but agreed by the French delegation of André Marty, Raymond Guyot and Arthur Ramette.[14] Charles Tillon was called to the capital to join the clandestine PCF secretariat, where Dallidet was among his interviewers.[1] Tillon became the third member of the secretariat, with Jacques Duclos and Benoît Frachon, and was put in charge of military matters.[13]

The leadership of the French Communist Party during this period was divided between three locations. Secretary-general Thorez was in Moscow with Marty. In Paris the clandestine party was directed by Benoît Frachon, aided by Arthur Dallidet. In hiding in Brussels were Jacques Duclos, who became the political leader of the party, and later the leader of the Communist Resistance, Maurice Tréand and Eugen Fried.[11] In mid-August 1940 Dallidet and Frachon decided not to use the safety devices and hideouts that Maurice Tréand had put in place, but to use a new network established by Dallidet. Tréand was allowed to continue setting up the clandestine structure in the northern zone, but received no further instructions. He was suspected to have been indiscreet due to trusting too much in the Soviet-German pact.[15] Relations between Dallidet and his former boss Tréand were stormy after August 1940. In a report to Duclos dated 26 February 1941 Dallidet attacked Tréand, accusing him of "travail de groupe", an extreme offense in a Stalin-dominated party.[16]

Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 in Operation Barbarossa. With this, PCF policy switched to support for armed struggle against the German occupiers.[13] On 2 August 1941 Albert Ouzoulias was put in charge of the Bataillons de la Jeunesse, fighting groups that were being created by the Jeunesses Communistes.[17] Dallidet introduced Ouzoulias to Eugène Hénaff, who was responsible for the armed struggle under the direction of Tillon.[18] About the time of the Barbès shooting[lower-alpha 4] in August 1941 the PCF Opérations Spéciales, the Batallions de le Jeunesse and the Main-d'œuvre immigrée merged to form the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP) led by Pierre Villon.[20] Although led by Communists, the FTP was under the National Front, which theoretically was independent of the PCF.[13] The FTP's mandate was to sabotage railways and factories, punish collaborators and assassinate German soldiers. Dallidet was placed in charge of security.[20]

Dallidet was recognized talking to a woman in a cafe beside the Reuilly metro station on the evening on 28 February 1942. He was arrested, taken to La Santé Prison, chained, handcuffed and severely beaten. He did not reveal any information, but had been carrying a long list of names and addresses. This led to other arrests including "Betty" (Madeleine Passot), his most important liaison officer. Further names and addresses were found in Betty's apartment.[21] Dallidet suffered weeks of extreme torture, but continued to say nothing. His face became so badly bruised and swollen he could not open his eyes, and one arm was paralyzed.[22] Dallidet was executed by a German firing squad on 30 May 1942 at Fort Mont-Valérien, Paris, along with Félix Cadras, Louis Salomon and Jacques Decour. The executions were a reprisal for an attempted assassination in Le Havre on 23 May 1942.[23]