To prove he is not a double agent, he is ordered to kill Arthur Palivoda, a radio host who is pro-FLN (National Liberation Front) and in favor of Algerian independence.

When his compatriots in La Main Rouge stage a hit-and-run with his car, Bruno agrees to carry out the assassination so the charges will be dropped and he will not be sent back to France, but he keeps hesitating and then decides again not to kill Palivoda.

Having discovered Véronica's ties to the FLN, the French abduct her, which they tell Bruno to try to gain additional leverage over him, and torture her for the location of the Algerians' current hideout.

[1] Godard devised the idea for Le petit soldat in wanting to make a film on the theme of "brainwashing," which he claimed he "got from reading [Arthur] Koestler.

"[2] While working on Breathless, Godard told journalist Marc Pierret that his next film would be shot in Switzerland, "with three times less money," and be "something about torture.