Eighty-five years ago today, on August 8, 1940 (July 5, 1940), four prominent French figures were arrested by the Vichy government. August 8, 1940 Four prominent French figures were arrested by the Vichy government. On August 8, 1940, the Vichy government moved quickly to arrest and imprison four prominent high-ranking officials, who were accused of "causing France's defeat in the war." Obviously, there is still a mystery in this. The German government wanted the Petain government to "properly punish the accused." Those arrested were former Chancellor Leon Blum, former Chancellor, Foreign Minister and Defense Minister Edouard Daladi, former Interior Minister Georges Mundell, and former Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, General Maurice Gamelin. The defendants will be tried by the new Supreme Court, which was set up only last week. Another Vichy court sentenced General de Gaulle, in absentia, to death on Friday. He was in London leading the French resistance against Germany and was charged with treason, plotting to disrupt French security and deserting during the war. The sentence was handed down by the military court in Cormont-Ferrand.