Season of Infamy

Charles Rist (1874-1955) was a French political economist. His Histoire des doctrines économiques (1909) established his reputation and throughout the interwar years, Rist served as one of France's top experts on financial matters. After the fall of France, Rist withdrew from the public arena to devote time to his family and his diary.Michele McKay Aynesworth is a translator and editor for Source, a quarterly publication of the American Translators Association's Literary Division.

We discover in these pages a closely observed view of life and events in France during the occupation.. . . Tracking the war's events, [Rist's] narrative is informed by a sophisticated knowledge of history, literature, and human behavior.(ronslate.com) [T]his is a valuable account of what one significant and perceptive Frenchman experienced during the protracted disgrace of France as a vassal state of Nazi Germany. (Publishers Weekly)

• Foreword by Robert O. PaxtonA Note from the TranslatorAcknowledgmentsIntroduction to the 1983 French Edition by Jean-Noël JeanneneyRegarding the History and Annotation of the Text (Jeanneney)A Brief Who's Who of the Rist FamilyI. War Begins2 September 1939 - 23 January 1940II. Blockade Mission, Visit to Roosevelt24 January - 24 April 1940III. Hitler's Army Enters Paris16 May - 12 July 1940IV. Vichy and the "French State": Beginnings12 July - 29 September 1940V. Promulgation of Anti-Jewish Laws4 October - 15 December 1940VI. "National Renewal": Harem Hijinks17 December 1940 - 14 March 1941VII. The Spreading Conflagration16 March - 17 August 1941 VIII. Pétain's Ambassador to Washington?30 August - 26 October 1941IX. End of My Mission11 November - 15 November 1941X. The Wind Shifts16 November - 14 December 1941XI. "A War Against the Jews"15 December 1941 - 27 February 1942XII. War Hits Close to Home4 March - 15 July 1942XIII. Certificates of Not Belonging to the Jewish Race24 July - 23 October 1942XIV. "Coup de Théâtre": A Turning Point in the War24 October - 13 December 1942XV. Internal Gangrene 16 December 1942 - 6 February 1943XVI. Growing Doubts and Hardships at Home10 February - 6 July 1943XVII. Good News from Italy, Perils on the Home Front12 July - 5 September 1943XVIII. Twilight of the Rogues9 September - 20 November 1943XIX. The Old Man's Wall21 November - 31 December 1943XX. Reign of Terror2 January - 23 February 1944XXI. All-Out Civil War29 February - 25 April 1944XXII. "Poor France!"27 April – 6 August 1944XXIII. State of Siege: The Allies Advance11 August - 24 August 1944XXIV. The Ransom for Deliverance 25 August 1944 - 27 December 1945Appendix I: Timeline of Rist's Movements During the WarAppendix II: The Anti-Jewish Laws of VichyAppendix III: Poem by Antoinette Rist ConstableAppendix IV: Postmortem12 September 1944. Letter to American Colonel Behn Regarding the Situation in France6 August 1946. The "Tyranny of the Military"13 May 1948. Cruelty EverywhereAppendix V: Members of Rist's Extended Family Imprisoned or KilledGlossaryWorks CitedIndex