that time, members of the Corps Francs repeatedly covered the walls with slogans that mocked Darlan, such as "Admiral to the fleet!" Darlan was not only attacked for his past collaboration with Germany, but also for his present attitude, upholding the exclusion laws inspired by Germany, as well as other repressive Vichy policies, such as the internment in concentration camps of thousands of French resistance fighters, Spanish Republicans and Central European Democrats. Conspiracy Bonnier and three of his comrades, Otto Gross, Robert and Philippe Tournier Ragueneau decided to assassinate Darlan. They had participated a few weeks earlier in the operation of 8 November 1942. The four drew straws and Bonnier drew the shortest. Following the draw, Bonnier procured an old "Ruby" 7.65 pistol. The day of 24 December 1942 was chosen. He received absolution in advance from Abbé Cordier after hearing his confession. Failing to find Darlan that morning at the Summer Palace, he lunched that day with d'Astier. Attack They returned to the Summer Palace after eating and settled in a hallway. After some time, the Admiral appeared, accompanied by Frigate captain Hourcade. Bonnier shot Darlan twice, once in the face and once in the chest, and then shot Hourcade in the thigh. The occupants of the other offices in the Palais captured him. Under interrogation he claimed he had acted alone and seemed unworried about the consequences. Trial and execution The next morning, 25 December 1942, he was convicted in less than an hour. Bonnier declared that he had acted only for reasons of moral purity. The judge signed a removal order sending Bonnier to the military tribunal of Algiers. The court sat that night and rejected requests for further investigation. My Viala and Sansonetti acted as lawyers for the accused. The rest of the procedure took place in less than a quarter of an hour. The court discounted Bonnier's motivations and age and sentenced him to death. The lawyers requested clemency. The law required the appeal to be heard by the Head of State, Philippe Pétain. That procedure would have had to await the end of hostilities. Charles Noguès, dean of the Imperial Council, proclaimed himself acting High Commissioner, under an unpublished order issued by Darlan on 2 December 1942. The order was invalid according to the legal order of Vichy. Nogues immediately rejected the clemency petition. Henri Giraud, who was then head of military justice as