Mariette Smart was born in 1900, the daughter of a German Mother. She lived in the Vichey administered section of southern France. Following the Allied invasion of North Africa, the Germans entered the Vichey section of France in 1942.
Smart seemed to take great delight in betraying her French neighbours, and anyone else who upset her, to the Gestapo and other occupation authorities. During the course of 1943, she work for the Germans as an interpreter in interrogations, and even accompanied them on raids of Jewish properties. She was then recruited as an agent for the Abwehr and participated in missions in Italy and Switzerland. It was while she was on one of these missions that she met Theodore Schurch.
After the war she was captured by the French authorities and sentenced by the French authorities in Cannes, to death for betraying various French people to the German authorities.
Mariette Smart was mentioned in an interrogation report of THEODORE SCHURCH. He stated that she worked in Italy for the Germans. Schurch mentioned that she had only spent six years of her life in the U.K.
She was born on 29 April 1900 at Ventimiglia, Italy. She had a British Father and German Mother. Schurch described her as about 45 years old; greyish hair; 5’ 5″ tall, looked and dressed like an old spinster; belonged to the British Union of Fascists; great friend of JOHN AMERY.
She held a British Passport which was renewed by the U.S Consul on the French Riveria in 1942. This British Passport was then renewed again by the Swiss Consul in Como in 1944 (with the permission of British Consul in Berne). Schurch also made clear in a statement made on 14 September 1945 (just before his own trial for Treachery in London), that Smart was a staunch friend of John Amery.
Flight-Lieutenant R.A. Walker visited Nice and Cannes on the 9/10 January 1946 (5 days after Schurch’s execution at H.M.P Pentonville) to see Mon. Leotardi of the Palais de Justice in Grasse. He showed the F/Lt. the file on Smart, and there were statements that Smart personally arrested several French Jews. She also directed their deportation and seizure of their property. The F/Lt. agreed that the French had a case against Smart for her re-trial. Smart spoke perfect English, French, Italian and German. According to the French evidence, Smart stated that she thought the Germans looked upon her as a spy working for the Gestapo.
The Home Office states in her file, that her case will be handled the same way as the case of Mrs. SUZANNE BOOTH, nee PROVOST (Renegade No. 1519) PRO document HO 45/25806.