In September 1944, a few months after being greeted by cheering crowds in Paris, Marshal Philippe Pétain, the head of the wartime État Français, was driven across the German frontier into exile under Gestapo escort. He no longer had access to the national radio service, so, as he passed through France, typed copies of his
If you’ve been following this section of the newspaper closely, you’ll know that I try to keep my choices of years from the past precise. Throughout 2023 so far, I’ve