Paul Reynaud
Reynaud, Paul (1878–1966), a French political leader. As premier of France at the time of the German invasion in 1940, he proposed to continue the war. When General Pétain and the French cabinet announced an armistice in June, Reynaud resigned.
Reynaud, a lawyer, was first elected to the National Assembly in 1919. During the 1930's he served in a number of short-lived cabinets, opposing appeasement of Germany and calling for rearmament. He was imprisoned by Pétain's Vichy government during World War II. After the war, Reynaud served in the National Assembly until his defeat in the election of 1962. He was prominent in the Council of Europe, where he worked for a European economic union.