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an old photo of a man in a military uniform and a lettera close up of a piece of paper with writing on itan old handwritten letter with a picture of a man ' s face on ita close up of a piece of paper with writing on ita letter from person to persona close up of a piece of paper with writing on itan old handwritten letter from a man who is sitting in a chairseveral old letters and envelopes are on display on a white surfaceseveral old papers are stacked on top of each other on a white surfacea handwritten letter from the president of france to his wifea bunch of old papers with handwriting on them sitting on a tablean old letter from a man who is holding up a piece of paper
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158 - The office of Marshal Pétain and the Vichy propagandists
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Estimate €1,000 - €2,000
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Description
The office of Marshal Pétain and the Vichy propagandists A collection of correspondence and miscellaneous documents FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE Paul Racine, private secretary to Marshal Pétain 28 letters to and from, 1942–1947, some on letterhead bearing the heading ‘Marshal Pétain, Head of State – Private Secretariat’, including 12 May 1944: ‘ ( ) He [Marshal Pétain] retained, during those days of sorrow, the dignity, serene strength and composure that were disturbed only for a few moments by the cries of fervour and devotion from Paris, which was seeing him again for the first time in four years, those of the crowd that had gathered, dense, packed and boisterous, outside the Parc on Sunday the 7th, the day of his departure, and finally those of the people in the various provinces he passed through on his way to ‘the new residence’. On the morning of his departure, after a resounding raising of the colours, he gathered us together to tell us that he was leaving ‘temporarily’. He said ‘goodbye’ to us (and why not?) (I was about to let myself say something else to you, but I shall stop there: I’ll tell you all about that in a few days). Accompanying him were: your former prefect, the doctor, an aide-de-camp, the head of the private secretariat and Gondard. I was originally supposed to be among them, but the doctor preferred to leave me here to run the private secretariat, because Gondard is more his secretary, knows his affairs better than I do, and has more of a level head than I do. (Never mind, that will come with age). I would certainly have taken great pleasure in linking my humble lot to his. I am glad to have been entrusted with this interim role, which is the only one worth the effort in these times of inaction; the one that concerns him, Jean Fernet, Rear Admiral and Secretary-General to the Presidency of the National Council 3 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1941–1943, including L.A.S., Vichy, 19 July 1943, a testimony of a certain lucidity regarding the consummated rift between Pétain and the French people (isolation and the end of the myth of the ‘Marshal as a shield’) as well as the failure of the Vichy reforms My dear mentor and friend (...) you have felt this deeply, and you are right to explain to young people, in particular, the terrible burden of this solitude, which grows heavier with each passing day. The people had believed that the miracle of pacification which had followed the horrors of the exodus would continue throughout the foreign occupation. All the affectionate trust they had suddenly placed in the Marshal was based on the expectation that this temporary immunity would be extended, a confirmation of the astonishing privilege that seemed to shield us from the harsh consequences of defeat. And then the suffering began. And as you so aptly put it, the outrageous outpourings of baseness and ignorance were unleashed: Must we suffer so much to have strayed so far! Loneliness is hard for two reasons: because the people have turned their backs on us, and because the routine, bureaucratic, continues its pernicious work based on the errors of the past, having understood nothing—or chosen to understand nothing—of the great breath of fresh air that the Marshal wished to breathe into all our institutions. It would have been too good to be true, had it at least been set in motion within three years. As you believe and say, it is in the youth that we must place our trust: they alone will, no doubt, in time, find the path to greatness once more... Jean Jardel, Secretary-General to the Head of State 3 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1943, including L.A.S., Vichy, 4 May 1943 My dear Sir, I have received both your draft [message] and your letter. As for the former, only one very fine turn of phrase could be retained, as the message had to be given a more technical form. The Marshal is no less grateful to you for your fine draft, which will be used one day or another. (...) Do come and see us from time to time in Vichy. We are delighted to hear from you and, through you, to breathe the air from the outside world. Such contact is very useful to us, and I hope it is not too much of a bother for you. Of course, I speak on behalf of us, the Marshal’s humble colleagues. The Marshal is keeping well in these difficult times: every day we take inspiration from his calm and courage... Commander Guy Féat, the official aide-de-camp and escort to Annie Pétain, wife of the Marshal 4 L.A.S./P.A.S., 1941–1944 + Typewritten note dated 29 September 1943 on the general political situation, forwarded by Commander Féat, 4 pp. in-4 General Jacques Campet, head of Marshal Pétain’s military staff 2 L.S./P.A.S., 1942–1943 FIND THE FULL AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THIS LOT IN OUR ONLINE AUCTION CATALOGUE
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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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