13 As mentioned by SNS Director of demographic surveys Pierre Jacquey in a Sept. 12 “AP” for “ Activités Professionnelles” or “Professional Activities”. 11 See in particular Robert Aron, Histoire de Vichy, 1940-1944, Paris, Arthème Fayard, 1954, p. 249. These cards mattered a lot to préfectures, since they were used as the basis for producing the FrIDs themselves. In addition, préfectures punctiliously controlled how the data collected in towns and cities were compiled – which was done on three numbered index cards (Exhibit 4). 
The MI insisted in particular that each of the processes that would make this card an exceptionally reliable document be conducted with minute attention, from the detailed description inspired by Alphonse Bertillon's 8 “ portrait parlé ” method, to proper fingerprinting, quality photographs, authentified supporting documents and birth certificates, etc.
Vichy considered it necessary to improve the performance of this agency, and the role of préfectures 7 proved crucial in this respect, as they were ordered to strictly double-check the FrID application files submitted by individuals to municipal authorities. The MI insisted that extremely methodical processes be used for accomplishing its task of identifying French nationals. 8 Pierre Piazza (dir.), Aux origines de la police scientifique.
7 Ever since the French revolution, France has been subdivided into about 100 départements, each of w (.). Policing and statistics: the rationales of collaboration Īfter looking into the whys and wherefores of this cooperation, we shall endeavour to explore more specifically the ambiguous role played in matters of identification by statistical agencies during this problematic era in French history. This agency, reporting to the Ministry of Finance and headed by René Carmille, contrôleur général des armées (Army comptroller general) 5, had been established as the “Service de la Démographie” (SD) – “Demographics department” – in November 1940 and renamed “Service National des Statistiques” (SNS) – “National Statistical Agency” – in October 1941 6. Carding processes were also significantly redesigned as, for the first time in France, the Ministry of Interior (MI) started to cooperate fully, in an institutionalised way, with the national statistical agency. Vichy thus sharply redefined the goal of carding as applied to nationals, which during the Republic was mainly considered as a means to materialise the common ground uniting citizens who were recognised as equals in terms of their rights. 6 For a precise description of the inception and processes of these agencies, see Béatrice Touchelay, (.). 5 Educated at Ecole Polytechnique, he belonged to the technocratic wave whose influence in government (.). Some “ Pétainist ” newspapers indeed wrote that the FrID was “noticeably more serious” than its predecessor the voter's card, which to them epitomised a decadent and corrupt Third Republic that had brought about the collapse of the State and thrown the nation in the abyss (Exhibit 2). The Vichy regime, however, often had to give in to the instructions of German authorities 3, who considered the FrID “a necessary basis for maintaining order and facilitating surveillance by police forces 4 ”.Īt the same time, the FrID was being presented as a token of the government's determination to restore the authority of the State and modernise it by establishing rational modes of identification that departed from the “approximate” methods of the previous regime. 4 Militärbefehlshaber in Frankreich to the General delegate of the French government at German armed (.)Īuthorities were struggling to keep alive a somewhat illusory feeling of national unity by maintaining the sovereignty of the State on the French territory as a whole, at a time when it was being challenged by the presence of foreign occupying forces and the splitting of the country into several zones. Baruch, to “turn the enemy’s demands into French initiatives, in order not to (.)
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