Robert de Foy: Difference between revisions
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'''Robert |
'''Robert Herman Alfred de Foy''' ([[Geraardsbergen]] 23 March 1893 - [[Brussels]] 15 August 1960 ) was a [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[magistrate]], and pre-War head of the [[Belgian State Security Service]], who served the [[Nazi]]'s during their occupation of Belgium. This period of his life has lead to some considerable historic debate around de Foy's legacy, but he was in the post-war period decorated [[Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II]], and recognised as "Righteous" by the state of [[Israel]]. |
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==Early life== |
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Robert Herman Alfred Foy ( Geraardsbergen 23 March 1893 - Brussels 15 August 1960 ) was magistrate and administrator of the Belgian State Security. |
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The son of Leon de Foy (1852-1942), and Mathilde de Vos (1860-1943); his brother Marc de Foy (1890-1964) ended his career as President of the Court of Appeal in Brussels, and his brother Joseph Foy (1897-1967) was an officer in the Belgian army. In 1919 Leon obtained the title DeFoy Foy, and in 1934 acquired hereditary nobility. |
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http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Foy |
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==Early career== |
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After serving in the [[Belgian Army]] in [[World War 1]], Robert studied law, obtaining a Ph.d and training as a magistrate. From 1922 to 1925 he was military officer in the Belgian army of occupation of the [[Ruhr]], [[Germany]]. From 1925 to 1929 he was the first substitute of the Public Prosecutor in [[Antwerp]], and then he became deputy administrator in the Public Security. From August 8, 1933, after the sudden death of his predecessor, Baron [[Beltjens René]] (1879-1933) he held the job of serving administrator of Public Security. |
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==Evian Conference== |
==Evian Conference== |
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Revision as of 15:54, 30 April 2011
Robert Herman Alfred de Foy (Geraardsbergen 23 March 1893 - Brussels 15 August 1960 ) was a Belgian magistrate, and pre-War head of the Belgian State Security Service, who served the Nazi's during their occupation of Belgium. This period of his life has lead to some considerable historic debate around de Foy's legacy, but he was in the post-war period decorated Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold II, and recognised as "Righteous" by the state of Israel.
Early life
The son of Leon de Foy (1852-1942), and Mathilde de Vos (1860-1943); his brother Marc de Foy (1890-1964) ended his career as President of the Court of Appeal in Brussels, and his brother Joseph Foy (1897-1967) was an officer in the Belgian army. In 1919 Leon obtained the title DeFoy Foy, and in 1934 acquired hereditary nobility.
Early career
After serving in the Belgian Army in World War 1, Robert studied law, obtaining a Ph.d and training as a magistrate. From 1922 to 1925 he was military officer in the Belgian army of occupation of the Ruhr, Germany. From 1925 to 1929 he was the first substitute of the Public Prosecutor in Antwerp, and then he became deputy administrator in the Public Security. From August 8, 1933, after the sudden death of his predecessor, Baron Beltjens René (1879-1933) he held the job of serving administrator of Public Security.
Evian Conference
De Foy was already head of the Belgian Secret Service when he attended the Evian Conference in France in June 1938, to discuss the refugee Jewish problem across Europe. In March 1938, after Germany had annexed Austria in the Anschluss, the number of non-Belgian resident Jews had risen to 30,000.
With an anti-Semitic [citation needed] Government behind him and in light of the failure of the Evian Conference, King Leopold III of Belgium ordered then minister of Justice Charles du Bus de Warnaffe to deny refuge in Belgium to Austrian Jewish refugees; and for De Foy to draw up lists of "suspect Belgians and foreigners."[1]
World War two
When German troops invaded Belgium on 10 May 1940, the Belgian authorities under instruction from De Foy rounded up the “unpatriotic” subjects, including Flemish nationalists, communists and non-Belgian citizens, most of them Jewish refugees from Germany and Poland. Theses people were exported to France on so-called "phantom trains" the records for which were destroyed, but it is known that at least 3,000 were arrested under the plot in Antwerp alone. A phantom train on which Joris van Severen, leader of the pro-Belgian Fascist party was among 79 people deported is well recorded, as 21 people were killed by French soldiers at Abbeville.[2]
Of the people deported on "phantom trains," most including the Belgian Jews were released by the Wehrmacht, the only Jews released by the Nazi German Army. 3,537 Jews holding German and Austrian passports were kept imprisoned at location, and were transported to Auschwitz-Berkinau for processing.
On their return to Belgium in July 1940, the Flemish-Nationalists complained to General Eggert Reeder the head of the Wehrmacht in Brussels, who had De Foy arrested for the deportations. The SS ordered that De Foy be immediately released from prison, in that he had fully co-operated with Heinrich Himmler pre-War.[3] This is possibly because of anti-Communist activity.[4]
Towards the end of 1944, with the Allied Forces invasion of Normandy, and the advancement of the Soviet Red Army in the east, the Nazis relieved De Foy of his position. After Robert Jan Verbelen was made head of the De Vlag Veiligheidscorps, a Nazi SS security force in Belgium, and tried to kill De Foy; he was placed in jail.
Post World War Two
Post the War, De Foy resumed his position as head of the Belgian secret police 1945-1958. While the records about the persecution of the Antwerp Jews are intact, document about French-speaking cities with large Jewish communities including Charleroi and Liège, were claimed to have been purposely [citation needed] destroyed, even into the early 2000s.[2][5] At least 171 Jews of Charleroi and 312 Jews from Liege are known to have died in the Shoah.
References
- José Gotovich and J.Gérard-Liébois - "L'an 40" (the year 1940)" Published by CRISP, 1971. French language