Hitler's gift to France

the long version

"Adolf Hitler had always been an enthusiastic admirer of the French Emperor. In June 1940, during a visit to Napoleon's tomb, the Fuhrer decides to crown his crushing victory over the French army with a grand gesture - he orders the return from Vienna of the remains of Napoleon II, the great Emperor's only son. Hitler imagines a grandiose public ceremony where his name will be linked forever to that of Napoleon Bonaparte. The announcement of such an extraordinary event upsets the rival collaborationists factions at Vichy: suddenly, in a palace coup, the Head of State, Marshal Petain, orders the arrest of Prime Minister Pierre Laval, thereby thwarting Hitler's plans. The German ambassador rushes from Paris with a heavily armed unit of SS to free Laval and prevent his assassination." "American diplomats and FDR were hoping that Laval's arrest would result in a major policy shift away from Hitler's Germany." "Hitler's Gift to France is a work of fascinating historical detection that reads like a thriller and sheds light on an intriguing and little known crisis of World War II."--Jacket.