Charles de Gaulle, London and the Resistance (1940 -...

Charles de Gaulle, London and the Resistance(1940 - 2010)Programme of EventsLondon & Oxford, June 2010

CharlesDeGaulleFlyer 11/5/10 15:18

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Charles de Gaulle, London and theResistance (1940 - 2010)On 18 June 1940, as the French government prepared to sign an armistice with the Naziinvaders, General Charles de Gaulle broadcast on the BBC to France. He called for acontinuation of the war against Germany and made an appeal to all French officers andsoldiers, military engineers and armament workers, to rally under his command in London.He ended his broadcast with words that have gone down in history: ÔThe flame of Frenchresistance must not and will not be extinguishedÕ.

In June 2010 there will be a series of events in London, centred at the Institut fran�ais, tomark the 70th anniversary of this important moment in the origins and history of theFrench Resistance.

Londoners will have the rare opportunity to hear from four leading members of theResistance who will offer their personal accounts of life in war-time London and OccupiedFrance. Veteran Free French member Jean-Louis Cr�mieux-Brilhac will participate in around table discussion on 16 June. The following day, Raymond Aubrac (a leader of theResistance movement Lib�ration), St�phane Hessel (Free French Secret Agent) and DanielCordier (tbc) (Secretary to Resistance leader Jean Moulin) will join British and Frenchhistorians at a public conference entitled La Flamme de la R�sistance. Resistance on Screen, aspecial film season, will take place from 15 to 24 June at Cin� lumi�re, and Radio France willbroadcast a commemorative programme live from the Institut fran�ais on 18 June.

Other events include talks at the Maison Fran�aise d'Oxford and exhibits at the BBC,Alliance Fran�aise and Lyc�e Fran�ais.

The Institut fran�ais will present a selection of rare Free French documents, available to allUK residents on Cultureth�que, its new digital platform.

These celebrations will be launched with the UK Premiere of Libres Fran�ais de Londres, aunique and moving documentary on the daily life of the Free French between 1940 and 1944,on 15 June at the Institut fran�ais.


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La Flamme de la R�sistanceTo mark the 70th anniversary of General Charles de GaulleÕs first broadcast on the BBC toFrance, historians and surviving Resistance leaders are gathering in London for a two-dayconference. The programme features eye-witness accounts from four surviving Resistanceveterans: Raymond Aubrac, St�phane Hessel, Daniel Cordier (tbc) and Jean-LouisCr�mieux-Brilhac.

De Gaulle and the Free French in LondonA round table discussion on The Free French in London, chaired by Professor JulianJackson (Queen Mary, University of London) will focus on key Free French sites in London,the relationship between de Gaulle and Churchill and the way that the 18 June Appealbecame mythologised in the years after 1940. The highlight of the evening will be the talk byJean-Louis Cr�mieux-Brilhac who was in charge of the Free French broadcasts to Londonin June 1944. Participants in this discussion are : Professor Debra Kelly (University ofWestminster), Professor David Reynolds (Christ's College, University of Cambridge), Dr Sudhir Hazareesingh (Balliol College, University of Oxford).

wed 16 june 7.00pm Ð 9.30pm | free | Institut fran�aisOn registration only: [email protected]

Inside a tiny plane, he carried with him

the honour of France..Churchill


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La Flamme de la R�sistance A conference, chaired by Professor Rod Kedward (University of Sussex), will deal withthree themes: Organising Resistance in France, Cooperation and Conflict and Beyond the FreeFrench: Diversity of Resistance. Among the topics that will be discussed are the role ofwomen in the Resistance and the BBC and the way that French people communicated withthe Free French. Resistance leader Raymond Aubrac will speak on Resisting in France, FreeFrench Secret Agent St�phane Hessel will discuss Organising Resistance from London,while Daniel Cordier (tbc), who was secretary to Jean Moulin and is now a leading historian ofthe Resistance, will chair a Q&A. Other speakers in the conference are: Professor MichaelRD Foot, historian of Special Operations Executive (S.O.E), Dr S�bastien Albertelli(Centre d'Histoire de Sciences-Po), Professor Robert Belot (Universit� de Technologie deBelfort-Montb�liard), Dr Hanna Diamond (University of Bath), Professor MartynCornick (University of Birmingham), Dr Matthew Cobb (University of Manchester), DrSimon Kitson (University of London Institute in Paris), Dr Karen Adler (University ofNottingham), historian Mark Seaman, Professor Margaret Atack (University of Leeds)and Professor Sylvie Lindeperg (University of Paris Ð Panth�on Sorbonne).

thu 17 june 10.00am Ð 6.00pm | free | Institut fran�aisOn registration only: [email protected]

The event is sponsored by the British Academy and the French Embassy in London.

Contact: Dr Matthew Cobb (University of Manchester) [email protected] information on: www.18June1940.org

In addition there will be a screening of LÕArm�e des ombres (dir. Jean-Pierre Melville) on 17 June, presented by Ginette Vincendeau (King's College London) and Sylvie Lindeperg(University of Paris Ð Panth�on Sorbonne), shown as part of Resistance on Screen filmseason.

A selection of books, several of which written by conference participants, will be on salein the Institut's foyer on 16 and 17 June. Book signing sessions will also be organised.


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Biographies of the Resistance VeteransJean-Louis Cr�mieux-Brilhac, born in 1917, was in charge of clandestine Free Frenchpropaganda from the spring of 1942 until the Liberation and spoke occasionally on theFrench broadcasts by the BBC. He has since gone on to become one of the most eminenthistorians of this period, producing an analysis of the Free French radio war, and the mostimportant study of the Free French, La France libre : de lÕappel du 18 juin � la Lib�ration(Gallimard, 1996).

Raymond Aubrac, born in 1914, was one of the first members of the Resistance movementLib�ration, and was appointed as Commissaire de la R�publique for Marseille in 1944.Arrested with Jean Moulin on 21 June 1943 and tortured by Nazi leader Klaus Barbie, he wasrescued from execution by the daring of his wife Lucie, celebrated in Claude Berri's filmLucie Aubrac (see p. 6). After the war he led a high-ranking career in the service of theUnited Nations. His autobiography, O� la m�moire s'attarde (Odile Jacob, 1996), is avaluable account of that period.

Daniel Cordier, born in 1921, joined de GaulleÕs Free French in June 1940. In 1942, he wasparachuted into France as a radio operator, but found his mission abruptly altered. For 15months Cordier acted as secretary to Jean Moulin, de GaulleÕs delegate to the Resistance,until Moulin was murdered by the Nazis after his arrest in June 1943. After the war, Cordierbecame an art dealer, and in 1977 wrote MoulinÕs biography, transforming historical studieson the Resistance. Last year he published his memoirs, Alias Caracalla (Gallimard, 2009),which won the Prix Renaudot and the Prix Litt�raire de la R�sistance.

St�phane Hessel, born in Berlin in 1917, moved to Paris when he was seven. After thedebacle of 1940 he escaped from France and arrived in London in May 1941. He joined theFree French Secret Services (BCRA) and was responsible for collecting intelligenceinformation gathered by agents in France. In March 1944 he was sent to France, where hewas arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Buchenwald. After the war he undertook adiplomatic career, serving notably as French Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva.His autobiography, Danse avec le si�cle (Seuil, 1997), reveals the extraordinary life of a manwho dedicated his life to the defence of human rights.


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Resistance on ScreenLibres Fran�ais de LondresFrance | 2010 | 90 mins | doc | dir. Timothy Millerin French with English subtitles | UK premiereServicemen, civilians, intellectuals, scientists, sailors,students, all volunteered and rallied General de Gaulle inLondon at the end of June 1940 in the hope of joining thefight alongside the Allies. For fours years they lived inEngland, far from their families, cut off from theirhomeland opting instead for exile.These people were theFree French...This moving documentary is accompaniedby historical accounts and archives including recordingsfrom Radio Londres.

Followed by Q&A with director Timothy Miller andproducer Fabienne Servan Schreiber

tue 15 june 8.30pm | £9, conc. £7 | Institut fran�ais

Le Grand CharlesFrance | 2005 | col | part 1: 105 mins | dir. BernardStora, with Bernard Farcy, Dani�le Lebrun, DenisPodalyd�s, Gr�gori Derang�re, David Ryallin French with English subtitlesAugust 1944. On the streets of liberated Paris, de Gaulletriumphantly descends the Champs-Elys�es. In his handslies the arduous task of reviving a drained and lifelesscountry, no one for a moment questioning his authority.In several months however, unity forged under theResistance shatters and quarrels break out. De Gaulle,little interested by political games tires of the infighting.On the 20 January 1946 he brutally announces hisresignation. How did events unfold following this startlingdecision? Le Grand Charles examines the history behindthis great leader and how France subsequently dealt withthe memories of war.

wed 16 june 3.30pm | £7, conc. £5 | Institut fran�ais

Introduced by Julian Jackson (Queen Mary, University of London), author of France: the Dark Years (OUP, 2001),The Fall of France (OUP, 2003) and De Gaulle (Haus, 2003).

L'Arm�e des ombresArmy of ShadowsFrance/Italy | 1969 | col | 145 mins | dir. Jean-PierreMelville, with Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, SimoneSignoret, Jean-Pierre Cassel | 12A | in French withEnglish subtitlesFrance, 1942. Based on a novel by French author JosephKessel, Melville's film tells the story of a group ofResistance fighters and their actions in the face of theGerman occupying army. Melville's own participation inthe Resistance group 'Army in the Shadow' undoubtedlyadds authenticity to this tense and atmospheric film.

thu 17 june 7.30pm | £9, conc. £7 | Institut fran�ais

Introduced by Professor Ginette Vincendeau, Head ofFilm Studies (King's College London), and biographer ofJean-Pierre Melville and Professor Sylvie Lindeperg(University of Paris Ð Panth�on Sorbonne) and the authorof Shadow Screens Ð the Second World War in FrenchCinema (CNRS, 1997).

Lucie AubracFrance | 1996 | col | 115 mins | dir. Claude Berri, withCarole Bouquet, Daniel Auteuil, Patrice Ch�reaucert. 12A | in French with English subtitlesLyon, March, 1943. Raymond Aubrac and his wife Lucieare active in the Resistance movement against the Nazioccupying forces. On 21 June 1943, Raymond is arrestedalong with Jean Moulin. Lucie has to pose as her ownhusbandÕs mistress in order to be allowed to visit him inprison. Using her underground pseudonym of Aubrac,Lucie sets about organising her fellow Resistancemembers to rescue Raymond, risking all of their lives inthe process.

sat 19 june 3.30pm | £9, conc. £7 | Institut fran�ais

Introduced by Rod Kedward, Emeritus Professor ofHistory (University of Sussex), author of Resistance inVichy France (OUP, 1978); In Search of the Maquis (OUP,1993) and La Vie en Bleu, France and the French since 1900(Penguin, 2005).


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Un condamn� � mort s'est �chapp�A Man EscapedFrance | 1957 | b&w | 99 mins | dir. Robert Bresson,with Fran�ois Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche | cert. Uin French with English subtitlesBased on the true story of Resistance fighter Andr�Devigny, who was imprisoned and sentenced to death bythe Nazis, the film follows his meticulous plans forescape, becoming a meditation on existential and spiritualthemes rendered in precise, physical terms.


Introduced by Ginette Vincendeau, Head of FilmStudies, King's College London

ApocalypseFrance | 2010 | col/b&w | Episodes 1 & 2: 104 mins doc | dir.s Isabelle Clarke & Daniel Costelle in English | UK PremiereApocalypse offers an insight into the Second World Warthrough eye witness accounts, from soldiers on thebattlefield to civilians who fled to military leaders. Frommilitary strategy to eye witness accounts of the everyday,this exceptional documentary series is made up uniquelyof images from archives offering a valuable cinematicfresco. Apocalypse plunges the viewer into the heart of themost devasting world conflicts using a large number ofunedited high resolution colour images, 5.1 Dolby Digitalsound and narration by Mathieu Kassovitz. Withoutdoubt this documentary offers an unprecedented andlasting vision of the apocalypse.


Followed by Q&A with BBC executive producer NickFraser, Apocalypse producer Louis Vaudeville, ECPADdirector Isabelle Gougenheim and Henrietta Foster

The episodes 3 to 6 will be shown from 3 July.

Now It Can Be Told UK | 1944 | b&w | 86 mins | doc | dir. Edward Baird |in EnglishOriginally made as a public information film, Now It CanBe Told is a unique example of film making. It was filmedin France and the UK in the winter of 1944 and exposesthe true lives of secret agents from the Special OperationsExecutive and the French Resistance in France from 1940to 1944. The film is remarkable not only because it isfilmed in the actual locations but also because the stars ofthe film are the real life secret agents. In addition, all theother roles are played by the camera crew or members ofthe French Resistance. The film follows the careers ofCaptain Harry Ree DSO, OBE, Croix de Guerre, M�daillede La R�sistance and Jacqueline Nearne MBE from theirarduous training to their dangerous work in OccupiedFrance.

Screening courtesy of the Imperial War Museum

followed by a free screening of

Yesterday's Witness: Distant Guns withthe French Resistance UK | 1980 | 48 mins | doc | dir. Christopher Cook, withHarry Ree and Jacqueline Nearne | in EnglishAlmost forty years after the making of Now It Can Be Told,the BBC commissioned this charming and revealingdocumentary about what Harry Ree and JacquelineNearne actually did during the war. Made shortly beforetheir deaths this rare film highlights what modest andcourageous people they were and how they felt aboutbeing immortalised on celluloid.

Screening courtesy of the BBC UK

tue 22 june 8.30pm | £7, conc. £5 | Institut fran�ais

Followed by Q&A with Mark Seaman, historian at theCabinet Office and noted expert on SOE


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La Bataille du railBattle for the RailsFrance | 1946 | b&w | 85 mins | dir. Ren� Cl�ment,with Tony Laurent, Lucien Desagneux | in Frenchwith English subtitlesLa Bataille du rail relates the exploits of French railwayworkers who supported the activities of the FrenchResistance during Nazi occupation. Winning the GrandPrix at Cannes in 1946, this legendary film establishedRen� Cl�ment as a great director. Filmed using non-professional actors, this is considered one of the mostaccurate war films ever made about the Resistance.


Introduced by Rod Kedward, Emeritus Professor ofHistory (University of Sussex)

L'Arm�e du crimeThe Army of CrimeFrance | 2009 | col | 139 mins | dir. RobertGuediguian, with Simon Abkarian, Virginie Ledoyen,Robinson St�venin | cert. 15 | in French with EnglishsubtitlesParis 1941. Twenty-two men and one woman fighting for anideal and for freedom in the untold story of the FrenchResistance. From the acclaimed and award winningdirector of The Last Mitterand (2005), Army of Crime seespoet Missak Manouchian lead a mixed bag of youngstersand immigrants in a clandestine battle against the Nazioccupation. News of their daring attacks, including theassassination of an SS General, eventually reaches Berlin.Under the orders of the Gestapo, French police andcollaborators hound Manouchian and his Resistance until,to escape torture, one of their associates denounces thewhole group. After a show trial, the twenty-three heroes arequickly brought face to face with their uncertain future.


Introduced by Rod Kedward

Resistance on ScreenTribute to Humphrey Jennings

London Can Take ItUK | 1940 | b&w | 9 mins | doc | dir.s HumphreyJennings & Harry Watt | in EnglishA tribute to the courage and resilience of Britons duringthe darkest days of the London Blitz.

A Diary for TimothyUK | 1946 | b&w | 40 mins | doc | dir. HumphreyJennings | in EnglishA diary charting the first six months in the life of a babyborn 3 September 1944, illustrating events and everydaylife at the time. A Diary for Timothy serves as an insightinto the last nine months of the Second World War.

Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to BritainUK | 2000 | b&w/col | 50 mins | doc | dir. KevinMacDonald, narrated by James Purefoy, with RichardAttenborough, Humphrey Jennings | in EnglishThis documentary looks at the life and work of filmmakerHumphrey Jennings, concentrating particularly on thevarious documentaries he made during the Second WorldWar for the Crown Film Unit. It includes among othersclips from Spare Time (1939), The First Days (1939), TheHeart of Britain (1941), London Can Take It (1940), Listento Britain (1942), The Silent Village (1943).

thu 24 june 8.30pm | £7, conc. £5 | Institut fran�ais

Followed by Q&A with Kevin Jackson, film critic andbiographer of Humphrey Jennings, and film directorKevin MacDonald


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Related EventsJean-Louis Cr�mieux-Brilhac, Testimony of a Free French Supporter at the Maison Fran�aise d'OxfordJean-Louis Cr�mieux-Brilhac will discuss his experienceon hearing the Appeal from his P.O.W. camp in Germany.He will talk about the modest and secret beginnings ofthe Resistance, and the courage that enabled him toescape his prison camp and join in the activities of theFree French.

His talk will be introduced by Robert Gildea, Professorof Modern History (University of Oxford).

tue 15 june 4.00pm | free | Maison Fran�aise d'Oxford

Maison Fran�aise d'Oxford2-10 Norham RoadOxford OX2 6SE01865 274 220 www.mfo.ac.uk

BBC ExhibitionGeneral Charles de Gaulle made his famous Appeal of 18June 1940 from BBC Broadcasting House. The BBC paystribute to this important date in world history by holdingan exhibition of rarely seen WWII objects from the BBCcollection, on display as part of the guided tours of thebuilding. Also on view will be the Jean Lur�at tapestrybased on a poem by Paul Eluard, which a grateful Frenchgovernment gave to the BBC in recognition of its role inaiding the French Resistance and the Free French.

18 june Ð 31 august

BBC Broadcasting House2-22 Portland PlaceLondon W1A 1AA03709 011227www.bbc.co.uk/tours

Commemoration at the AllianceFran�aiseThe Alliance Fran�aise in London proudly marks the 70thanniversary of the Appeal of 18 June 1940 and of thefoundation of the Secret Operations Executive (S.O.E).These events have a particular significance for theAlliance Fran�aise in London, which was the firstorganisation to rally and offer support to la France Libreand General de Gaulle who, in gratitude, became theAlliance's Pr�sident dÕHonneur in 1941. The LondonAlliance became the beacon light of the global networkwhen Alliance Paris was closed down. It organised FreeFrench talks throughout the UK and offered practicalsupport. Meanwhile its building housed the Gaullistsection of SOE. A permanent exhibition at the AllianceFran�aise in London will recount aspects of these parallelsubjects: the Free French in London, London at War andFemale Agents. A dedicated section in the library andvideoclub is available to Alliance students and a series oftalks will also illustrate this commemorative year.

Alliance Fran�aise de Londres1 Dorset SquareLondon NW1 6PU020 7723 6439 www.alliancefrancaise.org.uk


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Related EventsCommemoration at the Lyc�e Fran�aisThe Lyc�e Fran�ais Charles de Gaulle will honour the men andwomen who responded to the call and engaged in the fightalongside General de Gaulle through two showcases andinteractive learning stations.

These stations will enable students and future generations to learnabout this heroic figure and ensure this important and difficulttime in France's history will not be forgotten. Photos, books,memorabilia and films will help students grasp the extent towhich men and women gave up their lives with great courage. In addition, the Lyc�e participates in the Resistance and DeportationNational Competition, which aims to preserve memories of theResistance and deportation amongst young people. This yearpupils and high school students worked on the following theme:'The Appeal of 18 June 1940 by General de Gaulle and its impact upuntil 1945' and submitted a written or audiovisual piece.

Lyc�e Fran�ais Charles de Gaulle35 Cromwell RoadLondon SW7 2DG020 7584 6322 www.lyceefrancais.org.uk

Mapping the London of the Free FrenchThe presence of the Free French made a physical impression onLondon and some of their traces can still be found today. A 'Map ofthe London of the Free French' aims to chart that presence bothtemporally and spatially, through a mapping of the places and spacesin which they met, planned, worked, lived...adding a further materialand symbolic dimension to the diverse contributions which Frenchcitizens have made to the British capital throughout the centuries tothe present day. The London of the Free French will be presented asan interactive map at a round table discussion forming part of La Flamme de la R�sistance two-day conference on 16 June at theInstitut fran�ais. Participants in the audience will have theopportunity to add further place names, addresses, etc., to the map.

Project Co-ordinators: Professor Debra Kelly (University ofWestminster) and Professor Martyn Cornick (University ofBirmingham)

Radio France commemorates the 18 June Appeal live from theInstitut fran�aisRadio France will broadcast a special programmeat the Institut fran�ais on 18 June, to mark the70th anniversary of the Appeal of General deGaulle.

France Inter (5.00am Ð 11.00pm)18 hours of live broadcasting from the Institutfran�ais, including La Matinale by NicolasDemorand, Le Fou du Roi by St�phane Bern,Le Jeu des Mille Euros, 2000 Ans dÕHistoireÉ

France Info (4.00pm Ð 7.00pm)Hosted by Olivier de Largarde and CatherinePottier, France Info will broadcast live andfeature special guests, interviews, reports anddebate.

France Musique (5.00pm Ð 7.00pm)5.00pm Ð 6.00pm: Le Magazine by Lionel Esparza6.00pm Ð 7.00pm: Open Jazz by Alex Duthil

Le MouvÕ: 4.00pm Ð 7.00pm with Emilie Mazoyer

All broadcasts will be open to the public

Don't miss Belgian singer Arno and other specialguests at the France Inter concert, live fromKOKO from 7pm to 9pm.

Free entrance and booking at:[email protected]

www.franceinter.comwww.france-info.comwww.francemusique.comwww.lemouv.comwww.koko.uk.comwww.arno.be

18 june 5.00am Ð 11.00pm | Institut fran�ais7.00pm Ð 9.00pm | KOKO


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The Man of June 18Jonathan Fenby will speak about the subject of his new biography The General: Charles de Gaulle and the France HeSaved. He will explain how the General came to step forward on June 18, 1940, as the personification of resistance toFrance's defeat the hands of the Germans, and how the qualities he showed then marked his career for the next thirtyyears. Often seen as a cold, emotionless icon above the political fray, de Gaulle was a deeply human being and amasterful tactician, a supreme gambler who always sought to forge events in his mould but who suffered defeats aswell as victories, as this talk will demonstrate.

wed 16 june 6.00pm | book launch | free | Institut fran�ais

registration: [email protected]

Free French and the Institut fran�ais du Royaume-UniFrom June 1940, the Institut fran�ais du Royaume-Uni would become an important symbol of Free France. DenisSaurat, director at the time, was one of the first Frenchmen to support General de Gaulle and managed to keep theInstitut open continuously throughout the war. During that time, cultural activities and exchanges were intense andnumerous exiled French and European intellectuals gathered at the Institut.

To recall this rich past, an exhibition organised at the Institut fran�ais will bring together a rich collection of archivesincluding Revues de la France Libre, published at the Institut between 1940 and 1944. Additionally there will be textswritten by Denis Saurat for de Gaulle, correspondence between them as well as documents and objects belonging todescendants of the Free French.

On Cultureth�que, the Institut's new digital platform, images from reviews and archives, recording from the INAarchives as well as books on the Free French will all be available to consult online.

www.institut-francais.org.uk/culturetheque


Institut fran�ais du Royaume-Uni17 Queensberry Place

London SW7 2DT020 7073 1350

www.institut-francais.org.uk

www.18June1940.org

This programme has been organised in partnership with la Direction de la M�moire du Patrimoine et des Archives duMinist�re de la D�fense, la Fondation Charles de Gaulle, l'Ordre de la Lib�ration and la Fondation de la France Libre.It forms part of the commemorative season organised to mark the 70th Anniversary of the 18 June Appeal.


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