Educational purpose only. This post documents historical events related to World War II and condemns all war crimes, collaborationist regimes, and totalitarian ideologies. We do not glorify violence or hate.
Mathilde Carré was one of the most controversial figures of the French Resistance during the Second World War. Codenamed “La Chatte” (“The Cat”), she began the war as a committed resistance member before becoming one of the most damaging double agents in occupied France. Her actions helped destroy one of the Allies’ most important intelligence networks and remain a subject of historical debate.
This article examines the rise and fall of Mathilde Carré — from her role in building the Interallié network to her betrayal, her double-crossing of the Nazis, her trial, and her enduring legacy.
1. From Resistance Hero to Double Agent
Following the German invasion of France in 1940, Carré joined the Interallié intelligence network led by Polish officer Roman Czerniawski . Reporting to British intelligence in London, the network gathered vital military information from across occupied France . Intelligent, resourceful, and trusted by her colleagues, Carré quickly became one of its leading members .
In November 1941, Carré was arrested by the Abwehr, German counterintelligence . According to German records, she immediately provided the names and addresses of her comrades . The information she gave enabled the Germans to dismantle much of the Interallié network . Over sixty agents were arrested, many sent to Buchenwald; only fourteen ever returned to France .
2. The “Cat” Who Served Three Masters
After her arrest, Carré agreed to cooperate with the Germans. She became the mistress of Sergeant Hugo Bleicher, the Abwehr officer who had arrested her, and lived a life of luxury in Paris . She accompanied the Germans on raids, personally helping to arrest her former comrades .
But her story took another turn. In February 1942, she convinced Bleicher to let her travel to London as a German agent . Once in England, she admitted her collaboration and offered to work for the British . She was interrogated and imprisoned for the remainder of the war .
At her 1949 trial, the prosecution read from her diary: “What I wanted most was a good meal, a man, and, once more, Mozart’s Requiem.” This phrase became the defining image of her betrayal—a woman who had traded the lives of sixty friends for pleasure and survival.
3. The Trial
On January 3, 1949, Mathilde Carré stood trial in Paris for treason . The prosecution detailed her role in the destruction of Interallié and the arrest of dozens of resistance members .
Carré was sentenced to death on January 7, 1949 . Three months later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment . She was released from prison in September 1954 .
She wrote two memoirs, J’ai été “La Chatte” (1959) and On m’appelait la Chatte (1975), in which she presented herself as a victim of circumstance rather than a willing traitor. She died in Paris in 2007 at the age of 98 .
4. Legacy
Mathilde Carré remains an enigmatic and controversial figure. To some, she is a symbol of the moral compromises forced by occupation and the human instinct for survival. To others, she represents the worst kind of betrayal—a woman who sacrificed her comrades for comfort and luxury.
Primary Sources:
Wikipedia — Mathilde Carré
Time Magazine — “La Chatte” (1949)
The Spectator — “Sleeping with the enemy: the wartime story of ‘La Chatte'” (2021)
The Independent — “How a triple agent called ‘the Cat’ got the cream of Britain’s spy network” (2002)
Tremain, David. Double Agent Victoire: Mathilde Carré and the Interallié Network (2018)
Perrin, Nigel. The Spy Who Betrayed: The Treachery of Mathilde Carré, Codenamed ‘The Cat’ (2025)