Deep Dive | France
Former French spy chief sets off on quest to save the DGSE war chest

By Thierry Lévêque and Franck Renaud

Published on 06.01.2026 at 05:00 GMT Reading time 6 min

The DGSE's cursed treasure (2/4) – A fund set up in the wake of the two world wars, to finance a government in exile if France were again occupied, eventually became a curse. This second episode recounts the never-before-told story of Alain Juillet's attempt to extract the intelligence service from the perilous situation it had got itself into.

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The DGSE's cursed treasure (4/4 published parts)

Set up in the wake of the two world wars with the aim of financing a French government in exile should the country suffer a collapse similar to that of 1940, the hidden fund of France's DGSE foreign intelligence service eventually became a curse. Intelligence Online lifts the veil on one of the French Republic's best-kept secrets.

Part 1The origins of the secret war chest of France's DGSE foreign intelligence

Part 2Former French spy chief sets off on quest to save the DGSE war chest

Part 3How the DGSE secret war chest nearly became a CIA-styled investment fund

Part 4DGSE pins hopes on upcoming court case to recover part of its war chest

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