The Central Intelligence and Action Bureau (BCRA) was during the Second World War, the intelligence service and clandestine actions of Free France. Created in July 1940 by General de Gaulle, designated by different names over the years, it was merged in 1943 into the General Directorate of Special Services (DGSS).
Denominations
The service, created in July 1940 by General de Gaulle, who placed at its head André Dewavrin (known under the name of war "Passy"), actually took several
successive designations:
Second office, when it was created on July 1, 1940, common designation since 1870 of the intelligence service of the French army;
Intelligence Service (SR), from April 15, 1941;
Central Intelligence and Military Action Bureau (BCRAM), from January 17, 1942, attached to the General Staff of General de Gaulle which had been created in September 1941 at the time of the formation of the National Committee;
Central Intelligence and Action Bureau (BCRA), from September 1, 1942.
Following the landing of the Allies in North Africa in November 1942 and the constitution of the French Committee for National Liberation in June 1943, the question of the unification of the French secret services arose. After a first attempt to coordinate the BCRA in London and the services in Algiers on October 4, 1943, a decree of November 19, 1943 created the General Directorate of Special Services (DGSS). Headed by Jacques Soustelle, it included:
a technical department (DTSS headed by Colonel Passy), bringing together all the intelligence and action services of Algiers (BRAA headed by André Pelabon), those of London (BRAL headed by André Manuel); it was formed by the meeting of the BCRA and the elements brought to each section by the services of General Giraud;
a center for documentation and studies;
a Department of Security for the Armed Forces;
Department of Technical Controls.
In November 1942, the Allied landings in North Africa followed by the invasion of the southern zone by the Germans led agents from the Vichy intelligence service to reach Algiers. The rivalry between General de Gaulle and General Giraud imposes for some time a duality between the special services:
BRAL, London Information and Action Office (ex-BCRA), headed by André Dewavrin, located at 10, Duke Street,
BRAA, Algiers Information and Action Office , led by Colonel Louis Rivet and Commander Paul Paillole, giraudists.
Squad Skills
The initial competence of the service, intelligence, gave rise to a section:
Intelligence (R), headed by Captain André Manuel “Pallas”, then by Tony Mella, then by Jean Fleury “Panier”:section responsible for developing intelligence plans, recruitment, preparation and implementation of missions, liaison with the Intelligence Service MI6. Stéphane Hessel belonged to this service.
The progressive extension of the competences of the service gave rise to the creation of new sections, in particular:
Military Action (A/M), created on October 10, 1941, and directed by Captain Raymond Lagier "Bienvenüe" and Fred Scamaroni, then later by Jacques Robert "Rewez" and Pierre Lejeune:section in charge of development, with the 5th staff office, the military action plan, the recruitment and preparation of "action" agents, the search for military objectives to be destroyed, the organization of liaison with agents on mission and landing and parachuting operations; it works in liaison with the RF section of the Special Operations Executive SOE.
Évasion (E), created on October 10, 1941 and directed by Lieutenant Mitchell "Brick":section responsible for transporting escapees or to evacuate the "burnt" French, in conjunction with its British counterpart MI9. For a time passed under the control of the Commissariat for the Interior, this section was again attached to BCRAM on June 27, 1942.
Cipher, created on October 10, 1941, directed by Georges Lecot "Drouot" .
Counterintelligence (CE), created on December 16, 1941, and directed by Roger Warin (known as Roger Wybot) and Stanislas Mangin, then by Commander Bonnefous from 1943:section intended for detect and eliminate enemy agents infiltrated into Resistance intelligence systems in France and London. To this end, this section is responsible for the central file, the preliminary interrogation of new arrivals, the centralization of information on individuals and liaison with the British Security Service MI 5. The Morhange network will be attached to the BCRA after the meeting of the Colonel Passy with Commander Paul Paillole in London in 1942.
Studies and coordination (A/EC), created on March 28, 1942 as part of the A/M section, and led by Commander Maurice Duclos "Saint-Jacques":section in charge of the creation of overall plans, and sabotage and raid projects.
Documentation and dissemination (DD), created on July 3, 1942:section responsible for sorting and distributing intelligence.
Political (N/M =non-military), created on August 4, 1942 and headed successively by Louis Vallon, Jacques Bingen, Jean Pierre-Bloch and , after a short interim by Duprat, Lazare Rachline (Lucien Rachet):dry organization responsible for classifying non-military information collected by the intelligence service (R) and by "action" agents (A/M), for transmitting information to the Commissariat for the Interior1; and, in return, the preparation, in accordance with the directives of the Commissioner of the Interior, of the instructions of a political nature to be addressed to the agents of the networks in France, instructions coded by the service of the figure and sent to the agents in France by section A /M. This N/M section was detached from the BCRA and attached to the Mail-Documentation-Diffusion Service (SCDD) of the Commissariat for the Interior, from January 10, 1944.
History
In July 1940, after the defeat of the French armies, the Germans took control of the French coasts from Spain to Belgium. In order to counter a possible landing in England, Churchill asks the Intelligence Service to set up with General de Gaulle an intelligence network made up of men from Free France. André Dewavrin, known as Colonel Passy, of the Second Bureau, was in charge of creating this network, the primary purpose of which was to inform London of German military maneuvers all along the Atlantic and Channel coasts. It was therefore in the greatest urgency that the BCRA was born, and it was on July 20, 1940 that its first mission was accomplished, the parachuting of Lieutenant Jacques Mansion.
Free French, the majority of whom were volunteers who had been able to join the United Kingdom the day after the debacle, were sent to France. Of all nationalities, there will be nearly two thousand before the end of the war. Among them, Gilbert Renault, also known by the pseudonym Rémy, joined occupied France in August 1940. He was to create the most important network and one of the most active:the Confrérie Notre-Dame (CND). From 1941, supported by multiple networks, the BCRA was able to send equipment and armed paratroopers to carry out destruction missions on the Atlantic coast. Through Rémy, Pierre Brossolette arrived in London clandestinely in April 1942, later became Colonel Passy's deputy with the BCRA and took an active part in its reorganization.
The BCRA was not only an intelligence service, even if it was an important part of its activity. The results obtained from the collaboration with the English services (Special Operations Executive - SOE section RF and the Secret Intelligence Service section R) gave the BCRA an important role during the landing and were one of the greatest assets for General de Gaulle in his relations with allies.
In October 1943, the merger was completed, and the whole took the name of General Directorate of Special Services (DGSS), and its management was entrusted to Jacques Soustelle, former Information Commissioner.
According to the testimony of André Pommiès, the Corps Franc Pommiès reported from an operational point of view directly to the B.C.R.A. London from September 1943, with whom he was in direct radio contact. This fact suggests that the Central Bureau of Intelligence and Action in London retains its identity throughout this period, at least in the field.