COLONEL PASSY - General de Gaulle's Master Spy

The story of Colonel Passy (1911–1998) is above all the story of an extraordinary destiny. The 29-year-old captain who rallied to Free France as early as 1940 was among the handful of volunteers without whom General de Gaulle could not have hoped to succeed in his audacious gamble: to secure France a seat at the victors' table in 1945.

With no prior experience, Colonel Passy created the BCRA — the intelligence services of Free France — which maintained liaison with the Resistance, organised intelligence networks and built up a secret army. In 1945–1946, he established the SDECE, which would become the present-day DGSE in 1982. Self-assured, admired, feared or hated, surrounded by a sulphurous reputation, he maintained complex relationships with many leading figures, beginning with General de Gaulle.

His brilliant career came to an abrupt end in 1946. He was placed under fortress arrest by government order, accused of having concealed substantial funds from his successor and of personal enrichment. Despite his requests, he was never brought to trial. This "Passy affair" destroyed his career.

Is he the victim of a political conspiracy, or does he get off lightly? For the first time, a historian reopens the case, drawing on archives that long remained inaccessible.