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French National Committee

{{short description|French government in exile during Second World War}}

{{more citations needed|date=July 2020 }}

{{use dmy dates|date=July 2020 }}

{{Infobox government cabinet

| cabinet_name = French National Committee

| cabinet_type = committee

| cabinet_number =

| jurisdiction = Free France

| flag = {{flagicon|Free France}}

| flag_border = true

| incumbent =

| image = File:Comité national français.jpg

| caption = left to right: Diethelm, Muselier, De Gaulle,{{br}}Cassin, Pleven and Auboyneau.

| date_formed = {{Start date|1941|9|24|df=y}}

| date_dissolved = {{End date|1943|6|3|df=y}}

| deputy_government_head = René Pleven

| state_head = Charles de Gaulle

| state_head_title = CNFL President{{sfn|FFL|2009}}

| government_head =

| government_head_history =

| members_number =

| former_members_number =

| total_number =

| political_party =

| legislature_status = none

| opposition_cabinet = Government of Vichy France

| opposition_party = File:Flag of Philippe Pétain, Chief of State of Vichy France.svg French State

| opposition_leader = File:Flag of Philippe Pétain, Chief of State of Vichy France.svg Philippe Pétain

| election =

| last_election =

| legislature_term =

| budget =

| advice_and_consent1 =

| advice_and_consent2 =

| incoming_formation =

| outgoing_formation =

| predecessor = File:Flag of Free France (1940-1944).svg Empire Defense Council

| successor = File:Flag of Free France (1940-1944).svg French Committee of National Liberation

}}

The French National Committee ({{langx|fr|Comité national français}}, CNF) was the coordinating body created by General Charles de Gaulle which acted as the government in exile of Free France from 1941 to 1943. The committee was the successor of the smaller Empire Defense Council.{{sfn|JOFF}}{{Full citation needed|date=July 2020}}

It was Winston Churchill who suggested that de Gaulle create a committee, in order to lend an appearance of more constitutionally based and less dictatorial authority.{{sfn|Bernard|1984|p=374-378}} According to historian {{ill|Henri Bernard (historian)|lt=Henri Bernard|fr|Henri Bernard|vertical-align=sup}}, De Gaulle went on to accept his proposal, but took care to exclude all his adversaries within the Free France movement, such as Émile Muselier, André Labarthe and others, retaining only "yes men" in the group.{{sfn|Bernard|1984|p=374-378}}

The CNF was founded 24 September 1941 by an edict signed by General de Gaulle in London. The committee remained active until 3 June 1943, when it merged with the French Civil and Military High Command headed by Henri Giraud, becoming the new French Committee of National Liberation.

Composition

The French National Committee comprised six civilian and six military personnel:

  • Brigadier General Charles de Gaulle, President;
  • René Pleven, Commissioner of Economy, Finance and the Colonies. In charge of the coordination of civilian administrative departments ;
  • Major General Paul Legentilhomme, Commissioner of War;
  • {{ill|Maurice Dejean|fr|vertical-align=sup}}, Commissioner of Foreign Affairs until October 18, 1942 (dismissal), interim replacement by Pleven and then by René Massigli;
  • René Cassin, Commissioner of Justice and Public Instruction;
  • André Diethelm, Commissioner for Action in the Metropolis, Work, and Information;
  • André Philip, Commissioner of the Interior from 27;
  • Jacques Soustelle, Commissioner of Information from July 27, 1942;
  • Air Brigade General Martial Valin, Commissioner of the Air Force;
  • Vice-Admiral Émile Muselier, Commissioner of the Navy and the Merchant Navy, until March 3, 1942 (resignation); replaced by Rear Admiral Philippe Auboyneau from 4;
  • Lieutenant General Georges Catroux, commissioner at large from March 4, 1942;
  • Rear Admiral Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu, commissioner at large from March 4, 1942.

On 20 March 1943, the committee secretly appointed Jean Moulin, then in London, as representative of the French National Committee in Metropolitan France and "national commissioner on active duty"{{efn|National commissioner on active duty: in French: "{{lang|fr|commissaire national en mission}}".}} and put him in charge of creating a single coordinating body for the French Resistance. According to Daniel Cordier, "Jean Moulin was then becoming one of the main characters of the French internal Resistance.{{sfn|Cordier|1999|p=330}}

See also

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{{Portal|France}}

References

;Notes

{{Notelist}}

;Citations

{{Reflist}}

Works cited

  • {{Cite journal |journal=Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire |title=Kersaudy (François). Churchill and de Gaulle [compte-rendu] |lang=fr |first=Henri |last=Bernard |author-link=:fr:Henri Bernard |date=1984 |volume=62 |number=2 |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_1984_num_62_2_3467_t1_0374_0000_1 |type=book review |orig-year=1st pub: Collins (1981) |access-date=23 July 2020 }}

  • {{cite book |lang=fr |last=Cordier |first=Daniel |author-link=:fr:Daniel_Cordier |date=2014-05-27 |orig-year=1st pub: Gallimard (1999) |title=Jean Moulin - La République des catacombes |publisher=Editions Gallimard |trans-title=Jean Moulin - The Republic of the Catacombs |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tl4GBAAAQBAJ |isbn=978-2-07-255962-4 |oclc=751486421 |ref={{harvid|Cordier|1999}}}}

  • {{cite web |title=Les institutions de la France Libre |trans-title=Institutions of Free France |last1=Cornil |first1=Sylvain |url=http://www.france-libre.net/institutions-fl/ |date=2009-02-16 |website=La Fondation de la France Libre |access-date=2020-07-23 |ref={{harvid|FFL|2009}} }}

  • {{cite book |title=Journal officiel de la France libre |trans-title=Official Journal of Free France |ref={{harvid|JOFF}}}}{{Full citation needed|reason=Date, volume, number, page? The Journal Officiel generates thousands of pages of documents per month.|date=July 2020}}

External links

  • [http://www.france-libre.net Free France Foundation]

{{Wikisource|Source|Anchor}}

{{Wikisourcelang|fr|L’Affiche de Londres|De Gaulle's appeal from London}}

{{French Resistance}}

{{Liberation of France}}

{{France topics}}

{{Governments in exile}}

{{Occupation of France}}

{{World War II}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1941 in France

Category:1942 in France

Category:1943 in France

Category:French people of World War II

Category:Free France

Category:World War II political leaders

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