Entre fidélité à l’État et premiers ralliements à la France libre Les diplomates français en 1940

This article seeks to explain the apparent passivity of the French diplomatic corps following the defeat and armistice, a source of exasperation for the diplomats rallying behind Free France. It first evokes the attitude of the new Vichy authorities towards diplomats, next showing that the choice of Vichy was made not without questions, but that it appeared to them, at the time, like an absolute duty.