He was enthusiastic about the Vichy regime, and following the appointment of François DarlanasPrime Minister of France in February 1941, Barnaud was brought into the government as Delegate General for Franco-German Economic Relations.[2] Along with the likes of Jean Bichelonne, François Lehideux, and Pierre Pucheu, he was a member of a group of technocrats who were important in the early days of the Vichy regime.[3]
Barnaud worked with Nazi Germany during the occupation in order to secure deals to supply them with aluminium and rubber from French Indo-China.[4] He did, however, successfully oppose a plan suggested by Hermann Göring that the Nazis collect France's church bells and melt them down for their metal content, feeling that such a scheme would breed too much resentment against the Nazi occupiers.[5]
Barnaud was arrested in October 1944 on charges of providing the enemy with intelligence. After several delays, the charges were dismissed in 1949.[4] He returned to his business interests and amassed a fortune in post-war France.[4]
^Richard Vinen (2002) The Politics of French Business 1936–1945, Cambridge University Press. p. 230. ISBN0521522404
^Leon Marchal (2005) Vichy: Two Years of Deception, Kessinger Publishing. p. 120. ISBN1419165747
^Michael Curtis (2003) Verdict on Vichy, Phoenix. p. 79 ISBN1628724366.
^ abcMichael Curtis (2003) Verdict on Vichy, Phoenix. p. 259 ISBN1628724366.
^Elizabeth Campbell Karlsgodt (2011) Defending National Treasures: French Art and Heritage Under Vichy, Stanford University Press. p. 148. ISBN0804770182
