DE GAULLE CHARLES: (1890-1970) In a war date speech De Gaulle tells his audience that France 'will once more emerge ...

DE GAULLE CHARLES: (1890-1970) In a war date speech De Gaulle tells his audience that France 'will once more emerge from her sorrows and her ruins to resume her work and her place in the team of great nations'
DE GAULLE CHARLES: (1890-1970) French General and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. President of the French Republic 1959-69. A rare printed 8vo copy of a war date speech delivered by General de Gaulle at a reception given at Grosvenor House in London on 4th May 1943 by the Comite National Francais, comprising eight pages of French printed text, signed ( 'C. de Gaulle') by de Gaulle in dark fountain pen ink with his name alone at the conclusion. The speech, delivered in the aftermath of Operation Torch, states, in part, 'Si nous avons tenu a feter aujourd'hui nos camarades plus recemment arrives de France c'est d'abord parce que c'est leur tour de recevoir l'hommage du a leur courage et a leur resolution. Mais c'est aussi parce que, en leur personne, nous saluons les plus recents temoins de l'union inebranlable, une fois pour toutes etablie, entre les Francais Combattants et la masse des Francais captifs........la masse immense des Francais , dans sa misese et dans son combat, est moralement rassemblee autour de la France Combattante, nous nous sentons animes d'une merveilleuse confiance et plus resolus que jamais a poursuivre notre chemin, quoiqu'il en coute et quoiqu'il arrive........Eh bien, nous nous sentons tres forts et tres surs de nous, malgre toutes les difficultes du monde, parce que les braves gens que voila nous apportent l'encouragement et les ordres de la France.......dans cette guerre mondiale, comme dans toutes les tragedies humaines, les evenements ne sont jamais simples, Une sorte de diabolique genie reussit perpetuellement a les rendre decevants et compliques. En effet, ce drame effrayant et passionne met en oeuvre des hommes, des hommes avec leur courage et leur grandeur, mais aussi avec lesurs faiblesses et leurs mediocrites. C'est-a-dire que la politique at la strategie de la guerre ne sont qu'une perpetuelle concurrence entre le bons sens et l'erreur......C'est pourquoi je me sens aujourd'hui oblige d'evoquer clairement devant vous la grande affaire de l'unite de l'Empire Francais, qui est actuellement au centre de la politique et de la morale de cette guerre. J'en parlerai ici d'autant plus franchement que cette affaire interesse d'abord essentiellement les Francais et que notre peuple a le droit de connaitre comment agissent en la matiere ceux qui sont responsables devant lui......On sait que la France Combattante, qui n'a pas cesse un seul jour d'etre fidele a l'effort, a l'honneur et aux alliances, qui a remis dans la guerre une grande partie de l'Empire, qui prodigue sur tous les champs de bataille le courage de ses soldats, de ses marins, de ses aviateurs, qui sert d'inspiratrice et de guide a la resistance nationale, qui entretient des relations suivies avec toutes les Nations Unies et qui meme, j'ose le dire, contribue a animer l'esprit de guerre dans tout le camp de la liberte, fut officiellement ecartee de l'enterprise des Allies en Afrique du Nord Francaise.....La France Combattante etait neamnoins presente pour prodiguer aux Allies, lors de leur debarquement, le concours direct de ses amis, pour hanter l'esprit et eveiller la conscience de ces troupes francaises a qui une politique asservie a l'ennemi ordonnait de lutter coute que coute contre les Anglo-Saxons, en attendant que les Allemands aient eu le temps d'accourir, enfin pour fournir, au Fezzan, en Libye du Nord, en Tunisie et sur les mers, un concours appreciable et. je crois, assez glorieux a la bataille d'Afrique contre l'Axe........Une tentative fut faite d'imposer d'abord une autorite francaise qui demeurat a la fois hors de Vichy et hors de la France Combattante. Cette tentative ne put reussir. Nous pouvons dire que nous nous y etions attendus. Il nous a toujours paru que, dans le drame d'aujourd'hui, les grandes actions ne peuvent aboutir qu'appuyees sur une grande mystique. Or il n'y a actuellement que deux mystiques parmi les Francais: la Croix de Lorraine pour presque tous, le vieux Marechal pour quelques uns......En meme temps une dure bataille s'etait engagee en Tunisie, ou l'ennemi avait delbarque et ou de braves troupes francaises, secouant a la vue de l'Allemand la torpeur ou Vichy les avait longtemps maintenues, s'engageaient spontanement, presque sans armes, pour couvrir le deploiement des puissantes forces americaines et britanniques. Je rends ici un ardent hommage a ces vailants soldats, ainsi qu'a leurs chefs, les generaux Juin. Koetz, Barre, qui surent, dans une situation moralement et materiellement aussi confuse que possible, n'ecouter que leur devoir et prendre leurs responsabilites. Une nouvelle solution fut enfin adoptee pour le poste de Haute-Commissaire, puis de Commandant en Chef civil et militaire, en vertu d'une election par quatre hauts fonctionnaires demeures cependant fideles a Petain........Car c'est un fait, d'ailleurs infiniment emouvant et reconfortant, qu'en Afrique du Nord apparait maintenant au jour la volonte nationale. En depit d'une oppression acharnee de deux ans et demi, du flot epais de mensonges et chimeres qu'avait repandu Vichy et d'une obstruction continue de la part de certaines autorites, notre Algerie, notre Maroc, notre Tunisie, notre Afrique Occidentale, s'eveillent peu a peu l'appel de la Nation........Tout est pret pour que l'unite de l'Empire soit demain un fait accompli. Il reste a la consacrer, a la rendre feconde.......Car c'est bien de la France qu'il s'agit. Son Empire n'apartient a personne, sinon a elle-meme. Parceque cette Nation fut trahie et parcequ'elle est crucifiee, serait-ce une raison pour disposer de ses territoires, de ses soldats, par des arrangements opportunistes ou des combinaisons de commodite, alors qu'elle est soulevee par la vague des ardeurs sacrees et des fureurs vengeresses? Non!.......Il ne saurait y avoir discordance entre le combat mene en dehors du sol national et celui que livrent ses fils sur les champs secrets et multiples de la resistance interieure........Nous sommes prets a nous rendre a Alger immediatement et sans delai, pourvu que nous en soit laissee la possibilite physique. Nous ne voyons pas de raisons pour que cela soit differe davantage. Nous en voyons au contraire pour que soit hate un aboutissement qui doit porter au maximum l'effort de guerre francais, faciliter celui des Allies et exalter la confiance du monde dans les principes pour lesquels tant d'hommes souffrent et meurent aujourd'hui. C'est ainsi que prendra son sens profond et son efficience la grandiose entreprise interalliee d'Afrique du Nord, que le President Roosevelt et Monsieur Winston Churchill ont, avec tant d'audace et de methode, decidee et mise en oeuvre. C'est ainsi que les alliances et les amities de la Nation Francaise trouveront un nouvel et decisif aliment. C'est ainsi que la France pourra redresser davantage ses armes et ses esperances, en attendant le jour ou, sa liberation accomplie, et la victoire remportee, elle sortira, une fois de plus, de ses douleurs et de ses ruines, pour rependre son oeuvre et son rang dans l'equipe des grandes nations' (Translation: ' If we are keen to celebrate our comrades who have recently arrived from France today, it is first and foremost because it is their turn to receive the tribute due to their courage and resolve. But it is also because, in their person, we salute the most recent witnesses of the unbreakable union, once and for all established, between the French Combatants and the mass of captive Frenchmen........the immense mass of Frenchmen, in their misery and in their struggle, are morally united around France Combattante, we feel animated by a marvellous confidence and more resolved than ever to continue our path, whatever the cost and whatever happens. .......Well, we feel very strong and very sure of ourselves, despite all the difficulties in the world, because these good people are giving us encouragement and orders from France.......In this world war, as in all human tragedies, events are never simple, and some sort of diabolical genius is constantly succeeding in making them deceptive and complicated. Indeed, this frightening and passionate drama involves men, men with their courage and their greatness, but also with their weaknesses and their mediocrities. In other words, the politics and strategy of war are a perpetual competition between common sense and error......This is why I feel obliged today to speak clearly to you about the great matter of the unity of the French Empire, which is at present at the centre of the politics and morals of this war. I shall speak of it here all the more frankly because this affair is primarily of interest to the French, and because our people have a right to know how those who are responsible to them are acting in this matter...... We know that France Combattante, which has never for a single day ceased to be faithful to the effort, to honour and to the alliances, which has brought a large part of the Empire back into the war, which lavishes on all the battlefields the courage of its soldiers, its sailors, its airmen, which serves as an inspiration and guide to the national resistance, which maintains regular relations with all the United Nations and which even, I dare say, contributes to animating the spirit of war throughout the camp of freedom, was officially excluded from the Allied enterprise in French North Africa. .... La France Combattante was present at all times to give the Allies the direct assistance of its friends when they landed, to haunt the minds and awaken the consciences of those French troops who were ordered by a policy subservient to the enemy to fight the Anglo-Saxons at all costs, until the Germans had had time to come to the rescue, and finally to provide appreciable assistance in Fezzan, in Northern Libya, in Tunisia and on the seas. I believe, quite glorious to the battle of Africa against the Axis........An attempt was made to impose a French authority that would remain outside both Vichy and Fighting France. This attempt was unsuccessful. We can say that we had expected it. It has always seemed to us that, in today's drama, great actions can only succeed if they are supported by a great mystique. Now there are only two mystics among the French: the Cross of Lorraine for nearly all, the old Marshal for a few........At the same time, a hard battle was being waged in Tunisia, where the enemy had dislodged and where brave French troops, shaken by the sight of the Germans from the torpor in which Vichy had kept them for so long, spontaneously went into action, almost unarmed, to cover the deployment of powerful American and British forces. I would like to pay a warm tribute to these brave soldiers, and to their leaders, the Juin generals. Koetz and Barre, who, in a situation that was as morally and materially confused as possible, were able to listen only to their duty and take responsibility. A new solution was finally adopted for the post of High Commissioner, then Commander-in-Chief civil and military, by virtue of an election by four senior civil servants who nevertheless remained loyal to Petain........For it is a fact, infinitely moving and comforting, that in North Africa the national will is now coming to light. In spite of two and a half years of relentless oppression, the thick flood of lies and chimeras spread by Vichy, and continuous obstruction on the part of certain authorities, our Algeria, our Morocco, our Tunisia, our West Africa, are gradually awakening to the call of the Nation........ Everything is in place to make the unity of the Empire a fait accompli tomorrow. All that remains is to consecrate it, to make it a reality.......For it is France that is at stake. Her Empire belongs to no-one but herself. Because this Nation was betrayed and because it is crucified, would that be a reason to dispose of its territories and its soldiers by opportunistic arrangements or combinations of convenience, while it is being stirred up by the wave of sacred ardour and vengeful fury? No! ....... There can be no discrepancy between the struggle being waged outside national soil and that being waged by its sons on the many secret fields of internal resistance........ We are ready to go to Algiers immediately and without delay, provided we are given the physical opportunity to do so. We see no reason why this should be delayed any longer. On the contrary, we see reasons to hasten an outcome which should maximize the French war effort, facilitate that of the Allies, and exalt the confidence of the world in the principles for which so many men are suffering and dying today. It is in this way that the grandiose joint enterprise in North Africa, which President Roosevelt and Mr Winston Churchill so boldly and methodically decided upon and implemented, will take on its profound meaning and its effectiveness. It is in this way that the alliances and friendships of the French Nation will find new and decisive nourishment. It is in this way that France will be able to straighten her arms and her hopes, in anticipation of the day when, with her liberation accomplished and her victory won, she will once more emerge from her sorrows and her ruins to resume her work and her place in the team of great nations'). A rare example of a World War II date speech signed by Charles de Gaulle. Some light staining and very minor age wear, and the pages loose as result of the loss of a single staple, otherwise VG