National Gathering of the prisoners of war

The national Rassemblement of the prisoners of war is a French resistance network founded at the beginning of 1943, in early February according to the historian Christophe Lewin.

Since 1942, Maurice Pinot, police chief of the Mode of Vichy to the reclassification of the prisoners of war, marechalist but hostile to collaboration and not very enthusiastic vis-a-vis the national Revolution, encourages the manufacture of false paper to support escapes. In June and July of this year, two meetings take place with the castle of Montmaur, the subordinates of Maurice Pinot leaning like him towards dissidence, like Marcel Barrois, Antoine Mauduit and François Mitterrand.

In November and December 1942, of the friends of sunken François Mitterrand of captivity join the network in the course of formation: Jean Munier, Bernard Finifter and Roger-Patrice Pelat. Pierre Bénouville, another friend of F. Mitterrand, helps the Mitterrand-Pinot network without adhering to it.

In January 1943, Pierre Laval requires the departure of Maurice Pinot, become too much cumbersome. His/her friends of the police station to the prisoners of war resign in sign of protest.

During the inaugural meeting, which takes place shortly after in the Creuse, a collegial direction is formed, with Marcel Barrois, Jacques Bénet, Jacques de Montjoie, pol. Pilven, Maurice Pinot and, most active of all, François Mitterrand. This last binds to the Organization of resistance of the army as of January-February, then with Combat in March (following its meeting with Henri Frenay and Bertie Albrecht). The two movements finance the RNPG.

Maurice Pinot being regarded as too marked by his functions, it is F. Mitterrand which leaves for London in November 1943, thanks to André Bettencourt (which pays this assistance of a stay in a prison of Vichy), then for Algiers two weeks later.

A compromise solution is found with the Général de Gaulle: the RNPG amalgamates with the other movements of prisoners, forming the National movement of the prisoners of war and deportees (MNPGD), but François Mitterrand takes the head of it, and the principal stations are entrusted to old RNPG, or ex-members of the two other networks favorable to François Mitterrand, like Philippe Dechartre.

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