The French aviation minister was a communist who felt that all aeronautic research and development had to be handled at the government société nationale des constructions rather than left to private companies, the aircraft they produced were rubbish though so it left an opportunity for Dassault. It's all a bit complex
Like hell it was more complex !
Somewhat astoninshingly, in Buchenwald Dassault life was saved by... communists resistants. And he remained grateful to them until the very end of his life - in 1986.
Leading to an extremely weird, ackward paradox.
Marcel Dassault was seen, by the left, as a "merchand of death" sselling deadly Mirages to all kind of crazy sobs like Gaddhaffi, Mobutu, and many others.
On paper at least.
Because the reality was far more nuanced. Dassault, the Gaullist, was giving money to the french communist party as a reward for saving his life in Buchenwald.
And this happened over the 1946-1986 period... also known for the Cold War. Where France sided with NATO and the United States, and Dassault Mirage - particularly with IDF/AF - shot down shitload of Soviet MiGs.
And in the 80's it becomes even weirder when Miterrand brought the Eurocommunists into his government. The very french PC Dassault had passed money, because Buchenwald.
Weird, weird situation, really !
Another paradox with that man: before his Buchenwald ordeal, in the 30's, he and his friend Henry Potez were radical-socialists (Radsocs, as we call them). this mean that, as far as politics went... they were leaning toward Le Front Populaire. Even if they were capitalists, rich men, merchands of weapons, those kind of things. Le Front Populaire really had a surprise there, in the sense a lot of French weapons manufacturers were seen as right wingers and La Cagoule friendly. Potez and Bloch (not Dassault yet) were very different. Well Dassault was jewish and obviously vichy tried to kill him, and very nearly managed so, the bastards.