[W]hen the Farias affair broke [1986], the German philosopher’s political inclinations were hardly unknown. Sartre addressed Heidegger’s association with Nazism in 1944. Between 1945 and 1948, these connections were further examined in the pages of Les temps modernes, but the discussion remained largely abstract, barely touching on Heidegger’s ignominious activities while rector of Freiburg University (1933—34) and focusing instead on more formal questions about how the philosopher’s ideas might be associated with the rise of Nazism. Things took a more personal turn in 1961, when the publication of Jean-Pierre Faye’s translations of some of Heidegger’s proclamations from the period of the rectorate clarified the extent of his support for the nascent Nazi Party. A new debate erupted in Critique following the 1966 publication of François Fédier’s passionate defense of Heidegger in a review essay attacking three German books (including one by Adorno) critical of the philosopher. But even after Faye and Fédier sparred over whether Heidegger’s postrectorate politics were also faithful to national socialist doctrine, the overall conversation was all but restricted to a circle of committed Heideggarians.

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