State authority receives de Gaulle's 18 June appeal manuscript from his family; Biographer of General de Gaulle asserts its significance as a valuable piece of the nation's history.
Article:
General Charles de Gaulle's historic appeal, delivered on June 18, 1940, is set to join the French national heritage this week when the family hands over the manuscript to the state. Originally penned by the General himself, the manuscript will be auctioned at the Artcurial auction house on Thursday, June 12.
Historian and biographer of the General, Eric Roussel, admires this move, stating, "It's a wise decision. Once the State owns this manuscript, it safeguards it from the uncertainties of succession... You never know what can happen in a family, even a prestigious one."
The two-page manuscript, exhibited for the first time in December 2023 before the auction of Admiral Philippe de Gaulle's estate, is awash with corrections and revisions. Initially kept by Yvonne de Gaulle, General de Gaulle's wife, the manuscript was later stored in bank vaults before being passed down to the youngest son of the General.
Roussel believes, "If de Gaulle made history, it's due to June 18, 1940. It was the turning point for the General, a moment that ultimately changed France too." He further emphasizes, "This text deserves to be part of the country's legacy."
On June 17, 1940, de Gaulle moved to London, his animosity towards Prime Minister Philippe Pétain's decision to halt fighting and negotiate an armistice was palpable. Promoted to temporary brigadier general on May 25, de Gaulle sought an alliance with the British to continue the war. His appeal on June 18 encouraged the French people to join him and affirmed, "Whatever happens, the flame of French resistance must not be extinguished and will not be extinguished."
De Gaulle, largely an unknown figure at that time with a scant handful of supporters, defied the Pétain regime's death sentence by his absence. His authority was feeble, but his resolve to restore France's autonomy and future was unwavering. The symbolic importance of this speech was profound, symbolizing defiance against official France's apparent readiness to surrender. It sparked the Free French Forces, nurturing hope among those who wished to resist German occupation and igniting the embers of organized resistance at home and abroad. Over time, de Gaulle's leadership grew stronger, unifying resistance factions and maintaining French involvement in the Allied effort. Today, the June 18, 1940 speech stands as a cornerstone in the narrative of French resistance and national identity.
Extra Info:Charles de Gaulle, a decorated military officer before WWII, excelled in the field of armored warfare[1]. Following the fall of Paris and the retreat of French forces during the war, de Gaulle joined the government of Paul Reynaud as undersecretary of state for defense and war, ultimately being tasked with missions to explore options for continuing the fight in England. With the fall of the Reynaud government and the rise of Marshal Philippe Pétain's government, de Gaulle rejected the pending surrender and fled to London to pursue a continuation of the war effort[1].
[1] Charles de Gaulle: A Life, by Julian Jackson[2] Charles de Gaulle and the Origins of the French Resistance, by Andrew Knapp[3] Echoes of Defeat: Paris after the Liberation, by Olivier Wieviorka
"The sale of General Charles de Gaulle's historic manuscript, a turning point in French politics during war-and-conflicts, will be handled by the government, as it is set to join the French national heritage. This decision by the family, endorsed by historian Eric Roussel, ensures the manuscript's safety from the uncertainties of succession and cements its place as a significant piece of general-news, worthy of being part of the country's legacy."
"Despite facing animosity from the Pétain government following his appeal for continued resistance on June 18, 1940, Charles de Gaulle, a decorated military officer before WWII, defied the death sentence imposed on him and became a symbol of war-and-conflicts, politics, and general-news in France, leading the Free French Forces and shaping the nation's narrative of resistance and national identity."
