Prison Journal, 1940-1945 - Hardcover

France's Prime Minister and signatory to the Munich Agreement in 1938, Edouard Daladier, was arrested and imprisoned by the Vichy Regime for the duration of World War II. As a pastime and a catharsis, he kept a journal of his thoughts and feelings - about his imprisonment, about the suffering of his fellow inmates, about loyalty and dedication to French ideals, and about betrayal - particulary France's betrayal by the Vichy leaders, and his own betrayal by his colleagues. Daladier's diaries, presented here in a English translation, reveal the personal side of the public statesman - a man clinging passionately to his political beliefs and maintaining a fervent loyalty to his country, despite its harsh treatment of him. By turns sorrowful, enraged, humorous and philosophical, the diaries offer insights into the tangled politics of the time from the vantage point of a keen and independent mind.