[1] His earlier affiliation was not known when he later served as a cabinet minister under presidents Pierre Mendès France and Charles de Gaulle, and was awarded for his bravery in the Resistance against the Nazis.

Eugène Schueller, founder of L'Oréal, provided financial support and held meetings for La Cagoule at the company's headquarters.

Frydman also turned up the fact that Bettencourt had written many articles for a Nazi propaganda organ during World War II.

From 1940 to 1942, Bettencourt wrote more than 60 articles for La Terre Française,[2] a weekly newspaper that flourished with Nazi German financing during the occupation of France.

Bettencourt attempted to dismiss the journalism as "errors of youth", claiming that his judgement was clouded by the propaganda of Vichy France.