French bureaucrats and anti-Jewish persecution : the “Jewish service” of the Paris police prefecture, 1940-1944

During the German occupation of France, the “Jewish service” of the Police Prefecture was the primary institution responsible for monitoring Jews in the Paris region. This study concerns this largely unknown bureaucratic organization and its staff, focusing on the establishment of the index card registry known as the Fichier juif, and the manner in which Jews were received in the service's offices. Using administrative archives and unpublished private sources (from two important former officers of the service, Hubert Le Fur and Pierre Vayssettes), the author details the background, mindset, and professional ethos of such bureaucrats. A tradition of bureaucratic competence motivated Le Fur, Vayssettes, and their colleagues to seek “best” solutions to improve the system of persecution.