“He sees arising danger, in the event of invasion, of those
prominent Frenchmen who do not wish to collaborate with Germany,
and who are secretly active against her. They might constitute a
danger to the troops. These dangerous elements should be sought
out in business circles, university centers, in certain military
and political circles, and all classes of society connected with
them. He believes that it will be necessary to strike an
immediate blow against these people. He suggests that they
number easily 2,000 people or more. At a moment when it is
necessary to defend Europe against her enemy, there is no reason
why we should shrink from taking preventive measures of this
kind in France. As to the practical means of putting this into
effect, the Minister stated, Ambassador Abetz will have to take
up this matter immediately and draw up a list in collaboration
with the German services in order to take account of all the
questions that arise out of this matter.”