Why was Paul de Man investigated after World War II?

Following World War II, Paul de Man was investigated due to his professional activities during the German occupation of Belgium. Specifically, he was interrogated regarding his employment at the newspaper Le Soir—which had been seized by German authorities—and his authorship of a notorious anti-Semitic essay titled "The Jews in Present-Day Literature," published in 1941.1

While he was released without being prosecuted or exonerated at that time, his wartime conduct remained a subject of scrutiny later in his life. It is important to note that while some critics labeled him a "Nazi" following the public revelation of these documents in 1988, historians have characterized such claims as an exaggeration of his actual role.1