BRINON, FERNAND DE

born Aug. 26, 1885, Libourne, near Bordeaux, Fr. died April 15, 1947, Montrouge French journalist and politician who became a leading advocate of collaboration with Nazi Germany through the Vichy regime during World War II. Trained in law and political science, Brinon joined the Journal des Dbats (1909; Journal of Debates) and was its editor in chief from 1920 to 1932. After creditable service in World War I, he became an ardent advocate of a reconciliation between France and Germany. In 1939 he became political editor of L'Information. He was the first French journalist to interview Adolf Hitler and became a leading member of the FranceGermany Committee and the Circle of the Great Shield, influential politicalbusiness organizations. In November 1940 Brinon was appointed Vichy representative to German-occupied French territories and later (April 1942) a secretary of state. When the government of Philippe Ptain and Pierre Laval was deported from Vichy and refused further collaboration with the Germans (AugustSeptember 1944), Brinon headed a government commission with its seat at Belfort. After that futile effort, he fled to Germany, was captured by the Allies, and was executed as a collaborator in 1947. A posthumous edition of his Mmoires, based on his personal papers, appeared in 1949. Other books by Brinon include En Guerre: Impressions d'un tmoin (1915; At War: Impressions of a Witness) and a pro-Nazi piece called FranceAllemagne, 19181934 (1934; FranceGermany, 19181934).