The German Presence
On June 10, 1940, Parisians learned that the government had evacuated the capital, which was declared an "open city" on the 13th and occupied on the 14th. The German presence could be seen from then on in daily parades on the Champs-Élysées, concerts, German-language newspapers and magazines in the city's kiosks, and soldiers promenading around the capital.
The finer restaurants were taken over by the top military brass, and there was a great deal of shopping thanks to the occupiers’ generous exchange rate (which established the value of 1 Reichsmark as 20 francs instead of 12 francs before the war). Flags bearing the swastika hung from major buildings, while traffic signs in German were placed in the streets and official Paris time became the same time as Berlin. Hitler himself paid a brief visit to Paris with a few Nazi dignitaries after signing of the armistice on June 22. Posters and loudspeakers soon broadcast music and reassuring advice to Parisians, as the occupying forces, with their artificial air of "correctness," looted the capital's wealth and requisitioned, among many other sites, the homes of Daladier, Mandel, Reynaud, and Jouhaux. This charm offensive was accompanied by a matching resolve to place the city in the steely grip of the Occupation.
