Pilet-Golaz was said to be a pragmatic politician who tried to negotiate with German nazism and Italian fascism.

As the head of the foreign affairs, he had to find a balance between the German requirements, the objections of the Allies and the will of Switzerland to stay independent.

His choice to build a relatively good rapport with Nazi Germany was very disputed, during as well as after the war.

On 25 June 1940, Pilet-Golaz gave a speech containing numerous references to the coming of an authoritarian regime in Switzerland and to a "new order" in Europe.

[2] In September, he met with three representatives of the National Movement of Switzerland (Nationale Bewegung der Schweiz/Mouvement national suisse), the Swiss pro-Nazi party (the MNS was disbanded by the Federal government two months later).