Victor Barthélemy

Victor Barthélemy (21 July 1906 – 1985) was a French political activist, operative, and author. Originally a member of the French Communist Party and the Communist International, he moved to the fascist French Popular Party. After an imprisonment for collaboration, he supported far-right causes such as the European Social Movement, the "ultras" side in the Algerian War, the 1965 presidential campaign of Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour, and the Front national.

Barthélemy was born in Ajaccio. His father was a socialist. During his studies at the University of Aix-en-Provence, Barthélemy supported Action Française. He moved to Marseilles and joined the French Communist Party (PCF) in 1925. Following the national congress of the PCF in Lille in 1926, delegates appointed him to membership in Secours Rouge International. After an internship in the USSR in 1928, he worked for the Communist International under the command of Palmiro Togliatti. He carried out missions to Spain and Italy.

Barthélemy distanced himself from the PCF in 1930, but did not join the French Popular Party (PPF) of Jacques Doriot until 28 June 1936. Disillusioned with Communism, he was attracted to the "revolutionary authenticity" of fascism and National Socialism. In October 1936 he was appointed to the position of the Federal secretary of the party for the Alpes-Maritimes, centered in Nice. He subsequently joined its central committee and its political bureau. In November 1939, he became secretary-general of the party and was installed in Paris. He was a contributor to L'Émancipation nationale ([The National Emancipation]), and Le Cri du peuple.

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