France Forever

Emblem of France Forever, Inc., circa 1944

France Forever (French: France Quand Même[1][2][3]) was an organization founded on June 29, 1940[4] as an association of French men and women living in the United States, as well as American friends of France, acting to preserve comradeship between these countries in the cause of freedom and democracy.

The organisation was created to support Général de Gaulle in the fight against the Nazi occupation,[5] and Vichy France.[6] It aimed to represent de Gaulle in the United States and to acquire embassy status. It also declared to: "Assist the United States in all measures of preparedness to meet the menace to democratic institutions."[7] In 1941, the France Forever association had forty-six sections.[6]

Its headquarters was located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, NYC.[8]

Founders & action

Founders:[9][4][7][10][11][12]

  • Emile C. Geyelin[13] - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
  • Roger E. Brunschwig[6] - Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur. A much‐decorated French hero of the two world wars.[14]
  • Eugene J. Houdry - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. Vocal in opposing the government of Vichy France under Marshall Philippe Pétain and its collaboration with Germany and vocally and publicly criticized Pétain, stating that he did not speak for the French people.[15]

Houdry was its first President.[11][16]

  • Fred G. Hoffherr - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, becoming its publicity director[4][17] and later its executive vice-president.[18]
  • Emile G. Henno - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
  • Henri L. Laussucq
  • Pierre Quilleret - industrialist,[19][20][21] Eugene Houdry's brother-in-law[22]

Founded in his apartment.[4][23]

  • Maurice Garreau-Dombasle, was the Chairman Executive Committee.[11] From the New York Times in September 1940:[24]

    Declaring that he would "never accept any task under German control," Maurice Garreau-Dombasle, for thirteen years commercial counselor of the French Embassy in the United States, declined yesterday to obey the order of the Petain government to return to France.

The organisation became affiliated with the French Committee of National Liberation and published a monthly bulletin promoting its ideas, fighting against Nazi propaganda and having the voice of France to be heard in the United States as well as encouraging those in France to resist and play their part in bringing about ultimate victory.

Michel Wibault, De Gaulle appointed him as technical director of France Forever. On 17 June 1940 Wibault escaped with his wife Marie-Rose from Paris to London.[25]

From there Michel and Marie-Rose travelled to England, where they made contact with General de Gaulle. Michel Wibault joined France Forever, within which he was appointed technical director by de Gaulle.

Wibault was one of its "most active men."[26]

Fred G. Hoffherr cabled[27] de Gaulle, "Command, we shall obey . ... Vive la France!" Next day, Eugene Houdry cabled him (referring to the French people): "They are entirely at your orders."[28]

Following Charles de Gaulle's appeal on 18 June 1940, on 29 June, Dr Albert Simard, who was president of the French Veterans of the Great War, and also of the Associated French Societies of New York, had called a public meeting to launch a support movement.[1][29]

Simard stated:[30][31]

We are convinced that France and all enslaved European democracies can be freed only by British victory and that a German victory over Britain will be the signal for an attack on all of the Americas.

In 1943, Richard de Rochemont became the president of France Forever and continued his action until after the Liberation, giving way to Dr. Simard serving as president,[32] Chairman of the executive committee,[20] of sessions.[33] (After being vice president.[34]). Simard would later become involved with the Society for the Prevention of World War III,[5] serving as its Secretary.[35][36][37][38][39][40]

References

  1. ^ a b Nettlebeck, Colin. Forever French: Exile in the United States, 1939-1945. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic, 1991. 6.
  2. ^ France Forever: (France Quand Même). Rédaction, F.-G. Hoffherr, H. de Vilmorin, G. Luce. N° Spécial, Janvier 1941. United States: France Forever, 1941. [1]
  3. ^ Gaulle, Fondation Charles de (2008). De Gaulle chef de guerre: De l'appel de Londres à la libération de Paris, 1940-1944 : colloque international organisé par la Fondation Charles-de-Gaulle : Ecole militaire et Assemblée national, Paris, 8, 19, et 20 octobre 2006 (in French). Plon. p. 198. ISBN 978-2-259-20868-0.
  4. ^ a b c d "FRANCE: Troubled Exiles". Time. 1941-03-10. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  5. ^ a b Murray, James Edward. Importance of United Public Opinion on Public Issues: Remarks of Hon. James E. Murray, of Montana, in the Senate of the United States, Wednesday, May 16, 1951 .... United States: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951. 4.
  6. ^ a b c Creagh, Ronald (1988). Nos cousins d'Amérique: histoire des Français aux Etats-Unis (in French). Payot. p. 413. ISBN 978-2-228-88093-0. [2]
  7. ^ a b Gaulle, Fondation Charles de (2008). De Gaulle chef de guerre: De l'appel de Londres à la libération de Paris, 1940-1944 : colloque international organisé par la Fondation Charles-de-Gaulle : Ecole militaire et Assemblée national, Paris, 8, 19, et 20 octobre 2006 (in French). Plon. p. 520. ISBN 978-2-259-20868-0.[3]
  8. ^ Aglion, Raoul (1988). Roosevelt and de Gaulle: Allies in Conflict : a Personal Memoir. Free Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-02-901540-7.
  9. ^ Congress, United States (1941). Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the ... Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 344.
  10. ^ "The Evening Times from Sayre, Pennsylvania on August 29, 1940 · Page 7". Newspapers.com. 29 August 1940. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  11. ^ a b c A Nation-Wide Organization, Maison Francaise. [4] (PDF)
  12. ^ "Le comité de la France Libre des États-Unis - Fondation de la France Libre" (in French). 2009-11-10. Retrieved 2022-09-30.
  13. ^ Dubosclard, Alain (2002). L'action culturelle de la France aux Etats-Unis: de la Première Guerre mondiale à la fin des années 1960 (in French). Atelier national de reproduction des thèses. p. 1108. ISBN 978-2-284-04169-6.(Note: 2002 seems to be the published date according to this. 1895: bulletin de l'Association française de recherche sur l'histoire du cinéma, Issues 42-44, L'Association, 2004, p.4).
  14. ^ Col. Roger E. Brunschwig Dies; French Hero in 2 Wars Was 81, The New York Times, Dec 10, 1972.
  15. ^ "FRENCH GROUP HERE CHALLENGES PETAIN; His Talk of Collaboration With Nazis Not Voice of the People, E.J. Houdry Says NATION SEEN FOR BRITAIN France Forever Organization Quotes Letter Referring to Marshal as 'Queen Mother'", The New York Times, Jan 21, 1941.
  16. ^ "BAnQ numérique". numerique.banq.qc.ca (in French). Retrieved 2022-09-30. Eugène Houdry, président de La France pour toujours...
  17. ^ Ross, Harold Wallace; White, Katharine Sergeant Angell (1940-11-16). The New Yorker. F-R Publishing Corporation. p. 23.
  18. ^ June 18, 1942 issue of Le Canada, quoted in publisher of his radio addresses [5].
  19. ^ The Oil and Gas Journal. Petroleum Publishing Company. 1944. p. 71.
  20. ^ a b Year Book. United States: France Forever, Inc., 1946. p. 137.
  21. ^ Hydrocarbon Processing & Petroleum Refiner. Gulf Publishing Company. 1955. p. 230.
  22. ^ Jochem, Jean (1997). Français libre et pétrolier: récit (in French). Editions La Bruyère. p. 80. ISBN 978-2-84014-309-3.
  23. ^ "Clipped From The Philadelphia Inquirer". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 1962-07-19. p. 31. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  24. ^ FRENCH DIPLOMAT QUITS EMBASSY JOB; Trade Counselor for 13 Years Declares He Will Never Work 'Under German Control' DEFIES RECALL TO FRANCE Garreau-Dombasle Says He Will Remain in U.S. to Aid 'Liberated Part of Empire'. Times Wide World, 1939. The New York Times, September 4, 1940, p. 9.
  25. ^ Dow, Andrew. Pegasus, the Heart of the Harrier: The History and Development of the World's First Operational Vertical Take-off and Landing Jet Engine. United Kingdom: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2009.. 31.
  26. ^ Ross, Harold Wallace; White, Katharine Sergeant Angell (1940-11-16). The New Yorker. F-R Publishing Corporation. p. 23.
  27. ^ Hoffherr, Fred G., Columbia Profs Support de Gaulle and "France Quand Meme", March 7, 1941, Columbia Alumni News.
  28. ^ White, Dorothy Shipley. Seeds of Discord. United States: Syracuse University Press, 1964. 116.
  29. ^ White, Dorothy Shipley. Seeds of Discord. United States: Syracuse University Press, 1964. 116.
  30. ^ Mahl, Thomas E.. Desperate Deception: British Covert Operations in the United States, 1939-44. United States: Potomac Books, Incorporated, 2000. [6].
  31. ^ Wallace, Robert., Melton, Harold Keith. Spy Sites of Philadelphia: A Guide to the Region's Secret History. United States: Georgetown University Press, 2021. 114.
  32. ^ Revue de la France libre, Revue No. 240, 1982. Fondation de la France libre.
  33. ^ Resistance Liberation. United States: France forever, 1944.
  34. ^ Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (1943). A Selection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Addresses ... France Forever. p. 3.
  35. ^ Prevent World War III.. United States: Society for Prevention of World War III, 1969. [7].
  36. ^ Prevent World War III, cia.gov
  37. ^ Antiwar Group Warns Public of PLO Leader Shukairy. The Detroit Jewish News, February 3, 1967. Page 9.
  38. ^ Shukeiri poses a danger to world peace... Dr. Albert Simard, Secretary of the "Third World War Prevention Association" mentioned Shukeiri's activities for Hitler, when he was connected to the Jerusalem Mufti. (HaTzofe, Feb 2, 1967)
  39. ^ Nazi Expert on Anti-jewish Legislation to Visit U.S.; Protest Voiced, JTA, Feb 21, 1957.
  40. ^ Hearings. United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. 1958. p. 197. [8].