In response to the Communist campaign, Héberlé asked the authority for media regulation, La Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuel, to assess the documentary to see if was scholarly enough to be aired on French television. In turn, La Haute Autorité de l’Audiovisuel asked for a "Jury of Honor" made of former members of the Resistance consisting of Henri Noguères, Raymond Aubrac, Lucie Aubrac, Claude Bourdet, and Pierre Sudreau to assess the film. The "Jury of Honor" in its report stated “though it is highly desirable that a film inform French of all generations about the saga of the FTP-MOI, such a film nevertheless still remains to be made”. The "Jury of Honor" labelled Des terroristes à la retraite "an operation of disinformation with obvious and shocking political intent". Lucie Aubac called the film "misery loving". Sudreau referred to the recent Palestinian bombings of American and Israeli targets and stated: "at the very moment when we are again talking about direct action, this broadcast legitimizes terrorist methods.” Bourdet called the film "racist and anti-Semitic".
