French authorities have said that police and ministerial archives related to the Vichy period during WWII will be opened for public scrutiny.
More than 200,000 documents relate to the regime of Marshal Philippe Petain (pictured) from 1940 to 1944 which headed up the Vichy government.
The regime collaborated with the occupying Nazis, including with the deportation of 76,000 Jews from France.
From Monday the archives can be “freely consulted” by the civil service, citizens and researchers “subject to the declassification of documents covered by national defence secrecy rules”, it has been decreed.
The archives include documents from the foreign, justice and interior ministries and police as well as documents relating to the prosecution of war criminals in France, Germany and Austria.
French law provides that after the passing of 75 years, public access can be allowed. Prior to this only researchers and journalists could see some archives and then only with special permission.
