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a group of old papers with handwriting on them sitting next to each otherthree pieces of brown paper with writing on them sitting next to each otherseveral old papers with writing on them on a white surfaceseveral papers and envelopes of various sizes and colorsan old document with a handwritten letter on it sitting next to a piece of paperseveral old handwritten papers are stacked on top of each otherseveral old letters are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacea close up of a piece of paper with handwriting on ita pile of old papers with handwriting on them sitting on top of each otheran old book with a picture of a man in a life preserver on itan open book with a page of text on it sitting on a table
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156 - René Benjamin, Marshal Pétain’s speechwriter
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Estimate €800 - €1,200
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Description
René Benjamin, Marshal Pétain’s speechwriter Lot comprising manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, first editions and miscellaneous documents FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE Drafts of messages written by René Benjamin Message from Marshal Pétain for Christmas 1942 Handwritten draft by René Benjamin, with corrections and deletions, 5 pp., in-8 Handwritten note, 1 page, in-8 P.A.S., letterhead ‘The Head of State, Secretary-General’, 25 December 1942, Jean Jardel L.S., letterhead ‘Marshal Pétain, Head of State, Private Secretariat’, Vichy, 6 January 1943, Bernard Ménétrel Message from Marshal Pétain to the people of France, 1 January 1942, typescript, 5 pp., in-4 Message for the year 1943 Draft reply to prisoners, 30 January 1943, given to Racine, handwritten draft with corrections and additions, 1 page, in-8 Draft message for 1 May 1943, ‘French people at work, my fellow workers’, handwritten draft with corrections and deletions, 5 pp., in-4 Christmas message 1943, handwritten draft with deletions and corrections, 3 pp., in-8 Messages for the year 1944 The Marshal’s reply to the New Year’s greetings sent by prisoners in 1944, written by René Benjamin in Vichy on 20 March 1944, handwritten draft with corrections and deletions, 1 pp. in-8 + official message, 9 April 1944, 1-page typescript, in-4 Handwritten notes by René Benjamin, 1940–1948 3 small notebooks containing handwritten notes in pencil, 14.5 x 9 cm, each titled: Vichy, July 1941, 154 pp. (youth work camp, Uriage officers’ training school, Darlan, dinner with Huntziger) Vichy, Nov. 1941, 134 pp. (Switzerland, Weygand’s retirement, meeting with Mrs Carasso) Vichy, February 1942, 117 pp. (prisoners’ ingenuity, Urvoy, the Marshal and the Vatican, Dr Leriche, the Marshal’s wife), Nov.–Dec. 1942 (Maurras in Lyon, Pétain–Maurras dinner, lunch at Laval’s, General Laporte du Theil, Fernet, Herriot’s arrest, Lagardelle, Stucke) Loose sheets, 55 pp. in-12 and in-8; anecdotes, confidences, memories, facts concerning Marshal Pétain Typescripts, manuscripts and miscellaneous documents Press release ‘Pétain’s programme: authority, work, family’ by Hermann Hönig, 22 October 1940, typescript, 6 pp., in-4 Pétain the Just, The Marshal, Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 February 1941, handwritten notes on several private exchanges between Marshal Pétain, his wife and René Benjamin, during meals and walks on 26 and 27 February 1941, 22 pp., in-8, followed by numerous anecdotes and accounts of Marshal Pétain’s behaviour, the plan to amend the Constitution, etc. Speech by Marshal Pétain delivered in Saint-Étienne on 1 March 1941 to French workers, technicians and employers, typescript, 5 pp., in-4; 3 passes issued to René Benjamin as part of the official entourage for the trip to Saint-Étienne Address of 30 March 1941, delivered by General Laure to the French Legion of Combatants in Lyon, typescript, 4 pp., in-4 Notes taken from the personal diary of General Laure, Secretary-General of Marshal Pétain’s Cabinet, on loan from him to Vichy in November 1941, manuscript, 8 pp., in-4; testimonies recorded between 15 November 1940 and 18 November 1941 The Saint-Florentin meeting [1 December 1941, meeting between Marshal Pétain and Goering], typescript, 2 pp., quarto; a transcript of the meeting ‘Figures’: behavioural and psychological analysis by René Benjamin of Marshal Pétain’s entourage, manuscript, 6 pp., quarto Radio message broadcast by the Marshal to schoolchildren in France to mark the start of the new school term (October 1941), typescript, 3 pp., quarto + L.A.S., 20 November 1941, Paul Racine, private secretary Handwritten letter, 8 April 1943, Paul Racine, private secretary to Marshal Pétain; pass issued to René Benjamin to visit No. 129 from 8 to 12 April 1943 Message that the Marshal was due to deliver on Saturday 13 November 1943 at 7.30 pm, banned by the Germans at 7 pm, 1-page typescript in-4 concerning his succession The Youth Work Camps and The Cadre School, manuscripts by René Benjamin, 4 and 8 pp., in-4 Admiral Darlan: A Character – That is What Ultimately Emerges, behavioural and psychological analysis and testimonies, manuscript, 5 pp., in-4 Etc... FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
See original version (French)
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About the sale René Benjamin, the 20th-century Balzac scholar
Auction location
Auction time 10/06/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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