DREYFUS ALFRED: (1859-1935) French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarising political dramas in modern French history. Known as the Dreyfus Affair, it ultimately ended with Dreyfus's complete exoneration. An interesting A.L.S., A Dreyfus, one page, 8vo, n.p. 9^th February 1918, to a Colonel commanding the 168^th Regiment of Infantry, on Dreyfus's printed stationery as Le Chef d'Escadron, 20 Corps d'Armee, in French. Dreyfus reports on some airdropped propaganda, 'J'ai l'honneur de vous rendre compte qu'il est tombe aujourd'hui.....

venant d'un ballon, des exemplaires en allemand du dernier message de M. Wilson au congres americain ainsi que des exemplaires de l'appel ci-joint de la Russie aux soldats allemands' (Translation: 'I have the honour to inform you that it fell today…..from a balloon, copies in German of Mr. Wilson's last message to the American Congress together with copies of the attached appeal from Russia to German soldiers'). With a few official stamps and ink annotations, only very slightly affecting the text. Together with the piece of Russian propaganda referred to by Dreyfus, being a small printed oblong 12mo card issued in the names of Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky, dated at Petrograd (Saint Petersburg) on 5^th December 1917, with German text to the recto and verso, stating, in part, 'Russia's appeal to the German soldiers. The provisional government has been overthrown, power is now in the hands of the Russian people, and the new government regards immediate peace as its foremost task. We have taken all measures to ensure that the text of our peace offer is communicated to all belligerent powers. We now call on you soldiers to support us in the struggle for peace and socialism, for only socialism will bring lasting peace to the working class…..Soldiers, our brothers! The shining example given to you by your leader Liebknecht, the struggle that you are waging in the assemblies and in the press, and finally the revolutionary events of the German fleet give us the assurance that your battalions of workers are ready to fight for peace. Brothers, if you support us then the work of peace will be assured…..If you help us in the fight for socialism, then your organisational spirit and your experience will help socialism win everywhere. Our soldiers have laid down their arms, now it's up to you to follow the flag of peace. Long live peace! Long live the social and international revolution!' An unusual pairing of items linking two major events at the end of the 19^th century and beginning of the 20^th century: the Dreyfus affair of 1894 and the Great October Socialist Revolution of 1917. Some very light, extremely minor age wear, otherwise VG, 2