In March 1941 Marshal Petain named Xavier Vallat director of the government's Office of Jewish Affairs. In this position, Vallat was responsible to institute and carry out France's anti-Jewish legislation and in late 1941, created the Union of French Jews, on the initiative of Adolf Eichmann’s representative, Theodor Dannecker. Despite Vallat’s firm belief that Jews had to be excluded from French society, he refused to carry out Nazi Germany’s deportation orders. Consequently, in May 1942, the Germans removed Vallat from his position considering him too moderate. After the war, Vallat was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but was released after two.