Strong in Will: Working for the American Embassy in Paris during the Nazi Occupation

1In 1917 Marie-Louise Dilkes was sent by the Emergency Aid (of Pennsylvania) to France to work in support of our country’s involvement in World War I. One of her overseas responsibilities was to coordinate receiving the supplies and comforts from the Emergency Aid for the Pennsylvania men engaged in the war effort. The Emergency Aid organization continues to function today. See Emergency Aid of Penna. Foundation, Inc., “A Small Sampling of 100 Years of the Emergency Aid.”

2MLD was appointed secretary to the American Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Club, which was established in 1917 as the receiving arm for the supplies sent by the Emergency Aid (of Pennsylvania). Funding was provided by Rodman Wanamaker. See “Phila. Emergency Aid Girl Goes to France,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 18, 1918.

3Marie-Louise Dilkes was working for the American Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Club in Paris at the same time Charles Edward Dilkes, her brother, was serving in WWI with the U.S. AEF in the Army of Occupation in Montabaur and Wirges, Germany. He was granted an R&R leave in April 1919, upon which he went to Paris to visit his sister, Marie-Louise. She gave him her American Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Club calling card. He related the time he spent with her in his WWI book. See Dilkes, Charles Edward, Remembering World War One: An Engineer’s Diary of the War. 130–133.

5Colonel Thomas Bentley Mott (1865–1952), also known as Col. T. Bentley Mott or Col. T. B. Mott, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. He was the liaison officer between U.S. General John Pershing and French General Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, in WWI. Mott delivered messages between the two leaders: Pershing told Foch he wanted an unconditional surrender; Foch told Pershing the Armistice to end hostilities would take place at 11:00 a.m. EST on November 11. (Pershing, My Experiences in the World War (368, 388). Mott was a military attaché serving with embassies in Paris (1900–1904; 1909–1913; 1919–1930), St. Petersburg (1904–1905), and the Philippines (1914). MLD worked for Col. Mott from 1919–1921 when he was assigned as Military Attaché to the American Embassy in Paris. He would be a reference for MLD on her Application for Appointment as receptionist for the American Embassy in Paris. Dilkes Family Collection.

6Baron Emile-Ernest de Cartier de Marchienne (1871–1946) was a Belgian diplomat who served in Washington, D.C., as the Extraordinary Envoy and Plenipotentiary Minister for Belgium in the United States from 1917–1919 and then as the Belgian Ambassador to the U.S. from 1920–1927. (See Testelmans, Eddy. “de Cartier de Marchienne, Baron Emile-Ernest.”) Marie-Louise Dilkes was his personal secretary. He would be a reference for MLD on her Application for Appointment as receptionist for the American Embassy in Paris. Dilkes Family Collection.

7Prince Albert de Ligne (1874–1957) was the Belgian Ambassador to the United States from 1927–1931. Marie-Louise Dilkes was his personal secretary. He issued a royal decree on January 15, 1928, to confer on Marie-Louise Dilkes the decoration of the Cross of Chevalier in the Order of Léopold II. (Confirmation was sent from Belgian Foreign Ministry in a communication to the Belgian Cultural Officer in the Embassy of Belgium in Washington, D.C.; the confirmation was subsequently emailed to Virginia Dilkes May 7, 2009.) Prince Albert de Ligne would be a reference for MLD on her Application for Appointment as receptionist for the American Embassy in Paris. Dilkes Family Collection.

8Richard W. Morin (1902–1988) was confirmed by the [U.S.] Senate on December 19, 1929, to serve in the American Foreign Service as a Secretary in the Diplomatic Service and as a Vice Consul of Career. (American Foreign Service Journal, Vol. VII, January 1930:24). In the Foreign Service List, he was assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Paris. After his career as a diplomat, Richard Morin became the librarian for Dartmouth College. He was married to Dolores Dilkes, sister of Marie-Louise Dilkes. See Papers of Richard W. Morin, Rauner Special Collections, Dartmouth College.

9Julian Jackson in his book France: The Dark Years 1940–1944 describes in detail the chaos that existed in the French government as the German forces entered France. For the first cabinet meeting outside Paris some cabinet members went incorrectly to the Château de Candé instead of to the agreed-upon location of the Château de Cangé. See Jackson. 118–121.

10In a communiqué from Leland B. Morris, U.S. Chargé d’Affairesin Germany, to the U.S. Secretary State, Cordell Hull, Germany dictated the conditions required to close the U.S. Embassy in Paris yet retain a consular office. (See Morris, Leland B., Telegram 124.51/207.) The German orders stipulated a consular staff remaining of no more than 15 people, including the vice consul, Laurence Taylor. In a follow-up communication, Laurence Taylor stated the physical and staff changes that were made to the former Embassy facility in compliance with the German demands.

1The service record of Marie-Louise Dilkes with the U.S. Department of State assigned to the American Embassy in Paris is listed in her Application for Retirement of May 10, 1954. The Dilkes Family Collection.

Office of Military Attaché, Paris Embassy	October 1919–October 1921
State Department, Paris Embassy	November 1933–July 1941
Consulate General, Portugal	July 1941–August 1941
Consulate General, Lyon	September 1941–December 1941
American Legation, Bern	December 1941–October 1944
American Embassy, Paris	October 1944–May 21, 1954

2Pierre Audiat (1891–1961) was an accomplished French journalist, a historical works critic, and a literary scholar. He was a member of the Académie de Saintonge, a learned society of academicians of the culture and heritage of the Charente-Maritime district on the western coast of France. See “Audiat, Pierre,” Saintonge Academy.

3The preface to Paris Pendant la Guerre by Pierre Audiat is titled “Précisions.” He expresses what his book is not before he tells the reader the purpose of his book. His words written in French are translated and summarized by MLD. Nul, quelles que soient son erudition ou son intuition, ne saurail évoquer cette atmosphere s’il ne l’a lui-même respire. See Audiat. 5–6.

4Marie-Louise Dilkes’ father is George R. Dilkes. George R. Dilkes (1860–1938) and Mrs. George R. (Dolores) Dilkes (1870–1929) are listed in the Year Book of the Pennsylvania Society of New York, 1916. See “Dilkes, George R. and Dolores Dilkes.” 99, 115.

5The Dilkes family was a prominent family in Philadelphia at the turn of the twentieth century. In the “Report of the Board of Managers of the Trades League of Philadelphia: For the Year 1904,” it is recorded: “George R. Dilkes, of the firm of Messrs. George R. Dilkes & Co., they have decided to establish a steamship line between Philadelphia and Tampa, Fla., first steamship, ‘Shoma,’ sailing April 16th, from Pier 28, South Wharves. For the present, shippers should apply to the Southern Steamship Company, 305 Walnut Street, for freight rates and other information.” See the “Report of the Board of Managers of the Trades League of Philadelphia: For the Year 1904.” 47.

1D. is the author’s younger sister, Dolores Dilkes Morin, married from 1928–1978 to Richard Morin, who served as Vice Consul and Diplomatic Secretary at the American Embassy in Paris, 1929–1933. Dilkes Family Collection.

2M. (Édouard) Daladier, Prime Minister of France, signed the Munich Agreement in 1938. The Munich Conference was held September 29–30, 1938. Present were Nazi Germany (Adolf Hitler), the United Kingdom (Neville Chamberlain), France (Édouard Daladier), and the Kingdom of Italy (Benito Mussolini). To keep the peace, agreement was reached to allow Nazi Germany to take over the southern part of Czechoslovakia. See Henderson, Failure of a Mission. 171–175.

3L. refers to the author, Marie-Louise Dilkes, who is most likely writing in her journal. She sometimes referred to herself as Louise Dilkes. Dilkes Family Collection.

4World leaders responded to the world tensions created by Hitler. President Franklin D. Roosevelt expressed the opinion of the United States, King Léopold III expressed the opinion of the Belgian people, and Pope Pius XII expressed the opinion of the Catholic Church and the Vatican’s request for peace. See Tolischus, “Berlin Talks Held.”

6German–Soviet Pact of Nonaggression, aka the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, was signed on August 23, 1939. Nevile Henderson did not see this pact as easing tensions. See Henderson. 253–257.

7L’Humanité is a Communist French newspaper (1904–present). See l’Humanité, Ed. Hyaric. Le Soir (1887–present) is a Communist French-language Belgian newspaper. See Le Soir.be, Ed. Delvaux.

8Chez Francis on the Place de l’Alma is a French restaurant still serving today. See “Chez Francis,” TripAdvisor.

9American Field Service is an ambulance service organized by Americans to aid wounded Allied soldiers. Today it is an American organization that offers intercultural programs. See “AFS History Timeline,” AFS, 2020.

10Le Paris was a cinema house on the Champs-Élysées that showed film premières (cinemas d’exclusivité). It closed before the Occupation. See Smoodin, “The Paris Cinema Project.”

11Toward His Destiny is the French title for the American movie film Young Mr. Lincoln depicting the early life of Abraham Lincoln. Henry Fonda is the American actor who portrays Abraham Lincoln in the movie. “Rail splitter, tree chopper and the greatest man that history ever made” are the impressions left on the author after seeing the movie. See Toward His Destiny, adapt. Young Mr. Lincoln, by Trotti and Ford.

12Chartres Cathedral is a medieval church with stained glass windows and sculptures from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. See Cartwright, “The Stained Glass Windows of Chartres Cathedral.”

13Smith’s Bookshop is the largest English bookshop in Paris since 1903, originally established by the Neal brothers in 1870. It is now Smith&Son Paris. See “WHSmith—The English Bookshop,” WHSmith.

14Hitler’s Last Year of Power was written by the astrologer, Leonardo Blake, in 1939. Going back to the horoscope of the Bismarck Era, he tried to show there would be no great war. He examined the horoscopes of the 1930’s world leaders. He believed Chamberlain’s peace policy would triumph over Hitler’s lust for power. See Blake, Hitler’s Last Year of Power.

15Paris-midi, afternoon edition of Paris-soir,published 1911–1944. The September 1, 1939, headlines read “Hitler attaque la Pologne” (‘Hitler attacks Poland’). See “Paris-midi,” BnF Gallica.

16Danzig, now Gdańsk, is a seaport in Poland that was part of Germany until the end of WWI. Churchill recounts Germany’s invasion of Poland and its consequences in his book, The Second World War: The Gathering Storm. See Churchill, The Gathering Storm.

17Ledoyen Restaurant is in the gardens of the Champs-Élysées with three Michelin stars and a rich history. Taken over by Yannick Alléno in 2014, it is now known as Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen. See “Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen,” Michelin Guide.

18The river Seine flows from northeastern France near Dijon to the English Channel at Le Havre. It flows through Paris creating the Left Bank and Right Bank. Paris has 37 bridges that span the Seine. See Sciolino, “Ode to the Seine River, River of Romance.”

19Notre-Dame, a Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in Paris, was constructed in 1163; it is known for its French Gothic architecture. A structure fire on April 15, 2019, severely damaged the Cathedral, which is currently undergoing reconstruction. See “Notre Dame Cathedral Paris,” Notre Dame Cathedral Paris 2008–2020.

21Ange-Jacques Gabriel (1698–1782) was a French architect of the eighteenth century whose major accomplishments were the Place de la Concorde and École Militaire in Paris, the Petit Trianon and the Royal Opera in Versailles. See “The Gabriel Family,” Chateau de Versailles.

22The quoted lines “Take up the quarrel with the foe…” are from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, MD, who was a lieutenant colonel in the Canadian Army. He wrote the poem in 1915 after the death of his friend, Alexis Helmer, in the Second Battle of Ypres in WWI. See McCrae, “In Flanders Fields.”

23L’Intransigeant evolved into a right-wing newspaper that was published 1880–1940. The headline on September 4, 1939, read “LA GUERRE.” The strapline read “France and England are in a state of war with Germany.” See L’Intransigeant, Ed. Henri Rochefort.

24V. is the author’s sister, Virginia Dilkes Harrison (1903–2007). She was married (1936–1952) to John Harrison, Jr. Their residence in Philadelphia, PA, was MLD’s U.S. address after their father, George R. Dilkes, died. [Note: Virginia Dilkes Harrison is the editor’s namesake.] Dilkes Family Collection.

25British ship SS Athenia was the first British ship torpedoed in WWII on September 3, 1939. There was a loss of 112 lives including 28 Americans. See Churchill, The Gathering Storm. 423.

26Rochefort-en-Yvelines is now a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region 33 miles southwest of Paris. The Seine-et-Oise Department was abolished and has been incorporated into the Île-de-France region. See “Rochefort-en-Yvelines,” map-france.com.

27Marie-Louise Dilkes most likely named her horse Picardie after the Picardy region in northern France. [Ed. Comment.]

28In 1939 the “Daily Bulletin” was the internal news within the American Embassy and distributed to all staff members. These communications are considered historical documents and are part of the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series that are overseen by the Office of the Historian. See “Daily Bulletin,” Office of the Historian.

29Défense Passive groups were civil watch groups organized throughout France to defend the city or town in which it was formed. Aerial bombardments were of particular concern. The organization for Défense Passive was created in 1935. See “Paris at war (1939–1940).” Paris Archives.

30“It is pleasant to notice everything in Paris,” is from Memoirs of My Dead Life by George Moore (47). George Moore (1852–1933) was an Irish novelist and poet. See Moore, Memoirs of My Dead Life.

31Travellers Club on the Champs-Élysées since 1904 is an elite private member’s club. See Cooper, “A gentleman’s guide to the Parisian members’ club.”

32Marie-Louise Dilkes was a volunteer with the American Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Club, located at 11 rue Royale, Paris, from 1917–1919. See Preface.

33Baron William Sylvester de Ropp (1886–1973), a British agent, had a close relationship with Hitler. He dealt with Nazi Germany before and during World War II. MLD dined with his wife, Baronne Marie Woodman de Ropp, whom he married in 1925. Baronne de Ropp lived until 1986. See Farago, The Game of the Foxes. 79, 84.

34Bordeaux is in southwestern, France; Nantes in east France. Château de Candé is in Monts, France, 130 miles east of Nantes. See Glass. 60.

35Duchesse de la Rochefoucauld is an activist in a French Catholic women’s organization advocating for women’s rights while appealing to women to support the war effort. See “Edmée de la Rochefoucauld,” Arllfb.be.

36Anthony J. D. Biddle, Jr., U.S. ambassador to Poland, was forced to flee Poland with his staff when Germany invaded Poland. His escape is recorded in The Foreign Service Journal. See Walser, Ray. “War Comes to Warsaw: September 1939.”

38Mr. Lord is most likely James Couper Lord of Tuxedo Park and grandson of the architect, James Brown Lord. Tuxedo Park, a New York luxury community started by Pierre Lorillard IV, is where the tuxedo for men’s formal attire originated. MLD’s friend, Mrs. Griswold Lorillard (née Mary V. Green of Philadelphia), was the wife of Griswold Lorillard, grandson of Pierre Lorillard IV and heir to the Lorillard tobacco fortune. See “How Mr. Lorillard Divided His Estate,” The New York Times, July 14, 1901.

39Hubert Renfro Knickerbocker wrote about German politics before and during WWII. Charles Glass in Americans in Paris notes, after the Nazi takeover of Paris, the director of the Berlin Library, Dr. Herman Fuchs, had Knickerbocker’s works removed from the shelves of the American Library. See Glass. 117.

40The New York Herald Tribune was published 1924–1966. (See Lib. of Cong. Newspaper: “New York Herald Tribune”). Nazi chief (Paul) Joseph Goebbels was in charge of propaganda; Hermann Wilhelm Göring was second to Hitler, marshal of the Reich, commander of the German air force (Luftwaffe), and in charge of the armament and war industry; Heinrich Himmler orchestrated the Gestapo and was the architect for the Holocaust. See Speer, Inside the Third Reich.

41The American Colony in Paris was composed of Americans, mainly businessmen, who settled on the Right Bank. They distinguished themselves from the tourists. See Green, The Other Americans in Paris.

42Huntington Harter, a member of the American Colony in Paris, worked for the Paris branch of Harjes and Company in 1919. See “Harter, Huntington,” Social Register for Philadelphia—1919. 114.

43“Madelon” (I’ll Be True to the Whole Regiment) is a song from WWI. See Robert, “Madelon: ‘I’ll be true to the whole regiment’”; Chorale de la Promotion Laperrine sings “La Madelon,” YouTube.

44Edvard Beneš was President of Czechoslovakia 1935–1938 until Germany invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938. He led the government-in-exile 1939–1945. He came out of exile to lead again as President 1945–1948. Nevile Henderson wrote of the plight of Beneš in his book The Failure of a Mission (136–144). The French perspective is given in Le Livre Jaune Français, which is a book of diplomatic documents 1938–1939 offered by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 13–14.

45Vouillemont Hotel is now the Hôtel Sofitel Paris le Faubourg. See “Sofitel Paris le Faubourg.” Sofitel Paris le Faubourg.

46“What happened when you got back home?” is from Wickford Point. In Marie-Louise Dilkes’ writing, she is reflecting on her own experience after WWI and how people went on with their lives as if the war never happened. See Marquand, Wickford Point, 238.

47Ambassador François-Poncet was invited to the Eagle’s Nest (Kehlsteinhaus), Hitler’s retreat in the Bavarian Alps. Berchtesgaden is the nearest town to the Eagle’s Nest. See Le Livre Jaune Français. 24–25.

48Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and Leader (Führer) and Chancellor (Reichskanzler) of Germany in 1934. Hitler’s rise to power is uniquely told by Otto Strasser. See Strasser, Hitler et Moi.

49“There was the hermitage perched at 1900 meters…,” from Le Livre Jaune Français. This note refers to a letter of October 20, 1938, from M. André François-Poncet, French Ambassador to Berlin (1931–1938), to M. Georges Bonnet, [French] Minister of Foreign Affairs. The letter describes Hitler’s habitat known as Eagle’s Nest. Monsalvat, as told in the opera Parsifal by Richard Wagner, is the mystical castle in northern Spain where the Holy Grail is kept. The Holy Grail according to legend is the cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper. It is highly sought after by the knights of the Holy Grail in Arthurian literature. Mount Athos is a mountain in Greece and an Orthodox spiritual center where monks meditate in any of the multiple monasteries located there. In the French romance drama, Atlantide, by Pierre Benoit, the palace of Queen Antinea has cave walls. It is the place where intruders went to signify they died of love; they were embalmed in bronze. [Note: The drama takes place in the Atlas Mountains along the coast of northern Africa.] See Le Livre Jaune Français, Document #18. 24.

51La Côtelette restaurant was located at 41–43 rue de la Rochefoucauld. See “La Côtelette,” Documents commerciaux des restaurants de Paris et d’Ile de France.

52Johann Georg Elser attempted to assassinate Hitler on November 8, 1939. Elser was executed in 1945. Otto Strasser recounted the assassination attempt in his book. See Strasser, Hitler et Moi.

53Georges Duhamel was a French author who wrote novels and articles on social and moral issues. He was anti-German and anti-Vichy in his writings, in which he defined French humanism. He endorsed the French culture he loved. In the inter-war years he expressed strong anti-American sentiment. See Jackson. 35–37; 315; 482.

54G. Lenotre, pen name for Théodore Gosselin (1855–1935), is known for his historical works on the French revolution. In the six volumes of Vieilles maisons, vieux papiers (“Old houses, old papers”) he told behind-the-scenes stories of the French Revolution through the places where historical figures of the revolution lived. See Lenotre, Vielles maisons, vieux papiers.

55“Each house, your own…” is from the Prelude to Hampton Court: A History. Philip Lindsay, an Australian author who wrote historical novels, published Hampton Court: A History in 1948. See Lindsay, Prelude.

56“On the Quay…” MLD is referring to the Quai d’Orsay on the Left Bank in the 7th arrondissement.

57“A great bed wide and low, ‘like a battlefield’…” is from the Memoirs of My Dead Life by George Moore. See Moore. 143.

58In 1939 the Allied countries included the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth of Nations, France, and Poland. Great Britain and France had a pact with Poland that they would come to the aid of Poland if Poland was invaded by Germany. Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, which led to the start of WWII. See “Allies of World War II,” Wikipedia.

59In the 1937 British film, Moonlight Sonata, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a Polish pianist, portrays himself in a recital of Romantic era works by Polish composer Frédéric Chopin and Hungarian composer Franz Liszt. See Moonlight Sonata, Dir. Lothar Mendes.

60In 1939 Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Winston Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty and a member of Chamberlain’s War Cabinet. The story of Winston Churchill in 1939 is told in Erik Larson’s book, The Splendid and the Vile.

61Lord Haw-Haw, the nickname of William Joyce, was an Irish American who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the United Kingdom from 1939–1945 on the radio show “Germany Calling.” He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1905 and moved to England in 1921. He joined the Nazi party in England in the mid-1930s, moved to Germany before the war broke out in 1939, and became a German citizen in 1940. He was a broadcaster for the Nazi Party Propaganda machine. William Joyce was found guilty of treason and executed in 1946. A treatment of his life can be found at the Imperial War Museum. See Charman, “The Rise and Fall of Lord Haw Haw during the Second World War.”

63(Robert) Anthony Eden was a Conservative politician who held various positions in the British government, especially in the British foreign service. In 1939 he was Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, which oversaw British relations with the Commonwealth. Hansard files indicate the time and substance of the radio address in November 1939 were related to one made not by Anthony Eden but by the Secretary of State for War, Mr. Hore-Belisha, who was considered to be a brilliant speaker. See “Land Warfare,” House of Common Debates (November 22, 1939).

64Hôtel Biron is a mansion built in 1727 that has evolved with its owners and inhabitants including the sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) and is now the Musée Rodin. See “The Hôtel Biron,” The Musée Rodin.

65In 1939 Thanksgiving was to be on the last day of November, leading to a shortened Christmas shopping season and hurting a nation coming out of the Great Depression. President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving to occur on the second to last Thursday. See “The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings,” Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

66Church of the [Holy] Trinité, also known as the Église de la Sainte-Trinité, is a Roman Catholic Church in the 9th arrondissement. It was built in 1861–1867 and known for its organ and organ concerts. See “Church of the Trinité,” Paroisse de la Sainte-Trinité.

67Hôtel des Invalides was built in 1671 by Louis XIV as a hospital and hospice for disabled war veterans. It retains that function today along with housing other government ministries. See “Hôtel des Invalides,” World Monuments Fund.

69H. G. (Herbert George) Wells was a British author known for his science fiction novels. He wrote What Is Coming? A Forecast of Things after the War (1916), The War of the Worlds (1898), and The Time Machine (1895). A list of his publications is maintained by the H. G. Wells Society. See “The H. G. Wells Society,” The H. G. Wells Society.

70After Germany invaded Poland, a Polish Army division formed in France and fought under French command. Churchill refers to the Polish soldiers that Britain evacuated from Dunkirk in the Battle of France. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 193.

71In MLD’s footnote, Winston Churchill is describing the Battle of the River Plate in South American waters and the scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee, which was the first Allied naval victory in World War II. The battle took place in the harbor of the port city of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. See Churchill, The Second World War: The Gathering Storm. 526.

72“This royal throne of kings…,” is said by John Gaunt in Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of King Richard II: Act II, Scene I. See Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard II.

73La Belle Aurore Restaurant, famously seen in the movie Casablanca, is no longer in business. See Casablanca. Dir. Michael Curtiz.

74Gaston Ernest Liébert was Consul General of France when MLD knew him. As a diplomat he worked with the U.S. to resolve political disagreements regarding Germany as a result of WWI. He died in 1944. See “Gaston Ernest Liébert,” Wikipedia.

75Mons. Q. is an abbreviation for monsieurs (misters); Q represents any anonymous person.

77“The air bites shrewdly; it is very cold,” is said by Hamlet in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: Act I, Scene IV. See Shakespeare, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

78German Messerschmitt Bf 109 is the heralded German WWII fighter plane. The plane with its history is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. “Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/R3,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

79The Iron Cross was a service medal given to members of the German military from the Napoléon era until 1945; it became a symbol of Nazi Germany. See “Cross of Iron,” Military History Now.

80The American Hospital of Paris is located at Neuilly-sur-Seine in west Paris. Originally built in 1906 to treat sick Americans, it now has dual accreditation by U.S. and French health authorities. Charles Glass’s book Americans in Paris focuses on the Hospital and its role in the Résistance movement against Nazi Occupation.

81MLD is comparing the wildness of the cold, windy January evening to the eeriness of the setting for the manor house in Wuthering Heights, a book written by Emily Brontë in 1845. See Brontë, Wuthering Heights.

82“So long Thy power hast blest me” is from the hymn “Lead, Kindly Light” written by John Henry Newman in 1833. See Newman, “Lead, Kindly Light.”

83La Batterie Triomphale are eight Prussian cannons brought to France by Napoléon in 1805 and later to Paris in 1832. These cannons make up the Triumphal Battery. See Pommier, “The Prussian cannons of the Triumphal Battery.”

84While the Montparnasse beard was fashionable with French officers in the 1940s, the French Foreign Legion pioneers are the only French soldiers wearing beards today. See “French Foreign Legion Traditions,” French Legion Info.

85White Russians in general refer to Russians who supported the imperial government and opposed the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917; they typically had lived a life of nobility. Eugene Lyons wrote about the genesis of the Bolshevik Revolution.

86“The winter is past, the rain is over and gone,” from The Song of Solomon 2:11 (KJV).

87The Parliament of the United Kingdom is composed of the elected members of the House of Commons and the appointed members of the House of Lords. The ministers of the government, including the Prime Minister, are required to come before Parliament to keep Parliament informed of policy decisions and to answer questions Members of Parliament (MPs) may have. Churchill used this platform effectively. See “Parliament and government,” UK Parliament.

88French Foreign Legion is open to soldiers from foreign countries to serve in the French Armed Forces. See “Foreign Legion,” Foreign Legion.

89Walter Lippmann was a well-respected political columnist noted for his column, “Today and Tomorrow,” in the New York Herald Tribune. The European version of the New York Herald Tribune was the Paris Herald Tribune and was considered the hometown newspaper for Americans in Paris. MLD mentions Lippmann’s article on hindsight and foresight. Lippmann first wrote about hindsight and foresight in 1921 in his book Public Opinion. See “Lippmann,” Public Opinion.

90Hermann Rauschning (1887–1982) supported Hitler from 1933–1935. He went into exile in 1936 and moved to the U.S. where he denounced Hitler through his writings. See Simkin, “Hermann Rauschning.”

91The game “Bombardement de la Ligne Siegfried” was created by the game company Jouets Vera of Paris in 1939–1940. “The game is simply a variant of the game ‘Battleship.’ The box cover shows a battle with artillery, tanks, and planes between a French flag and a British flag. Below, one reads the indication ‘Authorized by the military censorship (17.11.39).’” See Schädler, “1945.” Swiss Museum of Games. 14.

93German aggressive acts in Czechoslovakia and Poland occurred before the period known as the “Phoney war” (September 1939–May 1940) when seemingly no more Nazi aggression took place. Chamberlain and Churchill referred to this period as the Twilight War. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 302, 518, 556.

94German participants in the March 1939 meeting were the Führer (Adolf Hitler), Hermann Göring who organized the Gestapo police state, Joachim von Ribbentrop who was Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany, and Georg Keppler who was the SS commander. See Le Livre Jaune Français. 101.

95Bohemia and Moravia are in the western and eastern parts of Czechoslovakia respectively. Prague, the capital of Czechoslovakia, is in the Bohemia region of the country. On March 16, 1939, German troops occupied Czechoslovakia. Events leading up to this Occupation are documented in Le Livre Jaune Français. 92–99.

96German Reich is the constitutional name for the German nation state. Historians view the First Reich as from the Roman Empire in 800 until 1806; the Second Reich from 1871 (victory in the Franco-Prussian War) until 1918 (defeat in WWI); and the Third Reich from 1933 (rise of the National-Socialism Party) to 1945 (defeat in WWII). See “Germany/History” in the World Book Encyclopedia. 150–157.

97“Our people will curse us…,” from The French Yellow Book. Report from M. Robert Coulondre, French Ambassador to Berlin, to M. Georges Bonnet, [French] Minister of Foreign Affairs, March 17, 1939. The report describes the coercive conditions under which the Munich Agreement was signed. Minister Hácha of Czechoslovakia signed the Agreement “with death in the soul.” The words “Our people will curse us” were spoken by Minister Chvalkovsky of Czechoslovakia. See Le Livre Jaune Français, Doc. #77. 100–102.

98Bouffes Parisiens Theater on Rue Monsigny is open to theater-goers today. See “Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens,” Bouffes-Parisiens Theater.

99Fascicule Noir (Black Paper)—a play written in 1939 by Louis Verneuil and performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens starring Gaby Morlay (1893–1964) and Victor Francen. See Fascicule Noir, by Verveuil.

100SS Rochambeau sailed 1911–1934. It was a French transatlantic ocean liner named for the commander of the French expeditionary force that helped defeat the British at Yorktown in the American Revolution. After America entered WWI, the SS Rochambeau carried troops in addition to its regular passengers and cargo. See McMahon, “WWI in the Passenger Lists of the U.S. Army Transport Service.”

101The play Three Faces East was first performed in Philadelphia before George Cohan adapted it for Broadway. See Three Faces East by George Cohan.

102Hitler et Moi by Otto Strasser was published in French in 1940. Otto Strasser, an early member of the Nazi party, was a political idealist. He with his brother, Gregor, would take nationalism from the right and socialism from the left to form the National Socialist Party—shortened to the Nazi Party. He owned newspapers that published articles against Hitler’s political ideas. He lived out his life in exile. See Strasser, Hitler et Moi. 9.

103The volumes of the book(s) Abraham Lincoln by John George Nicolay and John Hay were published in 1914. See Nicolay, Abraham Lincoln: a history, Vol. I–X.

105“Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit, …” (The sky is, above the roof, … ), from the poem: “Le ciel est, par-dessus…” by Paul Verlaine (1844–1896), a French poet and leader of the Symbolist movement. See Verlaine, “Le ciel est, par-dessus…,” Sagesse.

106Louise is a 1900 opera by Gustave Charpentier about the working-class life of Parisians. See Louise by Gustave Charpentier.

107(Benjamin) Sumner Welles was U.S. Under Secretary of State who traveled to Italy and Berlin to offer the services of the United States as a peace mediator. See Knauth, The New York Times, March 2, 1940.

108In 1939 Finland and the Soviet Union (MLD referred to the Soviet Union as Russia) engaged in the Winter War. By March 1940 Finland agreed to cede 9% of its territory to the Soviet Union in exchange for peace. See Upton, Finland in Crisis 1940–1941. 35.

109MLD’s letter to her sister in the United States was written throughout the month of March. She wrote more about the Colonel [Winslow] in her letter of April 8, 1940.

110Paul Reynaud became Prime Minister of France on March 21, 1940. See “Change in France,” The New York Times, March 21, 1940.

111The Chez Elle night club in Paris is a cabaret created by popular singers such as Lucienne Boyer in the interwar years. Lucienne Boyer (1903–1983) was a French singer whose classic song was “Parlez-moi d’amour” (‘Speak to me of love’). Chez Elle is no longer in business. See “Chez Elle–Closed,” Trip Advisor.

112“La Marseillaise” is the national anthem of France; “God Save the King” is the national anthem of Great Britain.

113Chambre des Députés in 1940 is the elected legislative assembly of the French Parliament in the Third Republic of France (1870–1940); the Chambre des Députés building is located on the Left Bank. Place du Palais-Bourbon on the Left Bank is a historic square with government buildings, including the Palais Bourbon, which today houses the French National Assembly. See “National Assembly History,” National Assembly.

114“These people who tell us what to do…” are words translated from Hitler’s address to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich on February 24, 1940 and appeared in The New York Times on February 25, 1940. See Hitler, “Adolf Hitler—speech for the Twentieth anniversary of the N.S.D.A.P.” Neues Europa.

115The tea room Boissier, founded in 1827 by Bélissaire Boissier, was a famous tea room in 1940 and sold in 2000 to Salon du Chocolat. See “Boissier.” ChocoParis.com.

116“Rose-red dawn” is from the sonnet, “This Was the Song,” by Helen (Julia) Hay Whitney. See Whitney, “This Was the Song,” Sonnets and Songs.

117Grand Duchess Charlotte Wilhelmine was the monarch over Luxembourg, 1919–1964. In WWII she went into exile to France, Portugal, Great Britain, the U.S., and Canada. See Saxon, “Charlotte, Longtime Luxembourg Ruler, Dies,” The New York Times, July 10, 1985.

118The American Ambulance Corps was a unit of the American Field Service in WWII. Their work is recognized in the book Americans in Paris (see Glass, 73) and their history documented on the AFS website (see “AFS History Timeline”).

119“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat,” are some of Churchill’s most quoted words, spoken in his first address as Britain’s Prime Minister to the House of Commons: May 13, 1940. See Churchill, Address, “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat.”

120Gare de l’Est is a railroad station for passengers serving eastern France and beyond. Its WWII history has been preserved. See “Preserved in time: WWII bunker hidden under Paris train station.” The Local fr.

122General Maxime Weygand (1867–1965), a French hero of WWI, was recalled from retirement in 1940 to assume command of the French armies. In an article for the World War I: Encyclopedia, Volume 1, Michael Neiberg wrote, “Recalled to service in 1939, Weygand commanded in the Middle East. Foch had declared before his death in 1929, ‘If France is ever in trouble, call Weygand.’ French Premier Paul Reynaud followed Foch’s advice in 1940, recalling Weygand from Syria to replace General Maurice Gamelin as commander of French forces.” See Neiberg, World War I: Encyclopedia, Volume 1. 1258. [Note: General Ferdinand Foch (1851–1929) commanded the Allied Forces in the closing months of WWI.] Barnett Singer in his book Maxime Weygand: A Biography of the French General in Two World Wars recounts Foch’s respect for Weygand and Weygand’s devotion to Foch. See Singer. 14–50.

123The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe commemorates a French soldier unknown but to God who gave his life fighting for France in WWI. He was buried on November 11, 1920. See Singer. 43–44.

124In addition to national identity cards required of all foreigners and French citizens, a foreigner also had to carry a circulation card showing his movements. Jackson wrote about the authoritarian republic under French Prime Minister Daladier (1933–1940) that was anti-foreigner and one which defined who was a French citizen. See Jackson. 102–120.

125King Léopold III of Belgium reigned 1934–1951. His surrender to Germany in 1940 was controversial. Those who opposed King Léopold III thought the King as commander of the Belgian Armies should have fought the Germans instead of surrendering. King Léopold’s surrender and the subsequent life of Belgians in captivity is documented in The Heel of the Conqueror, Time-Life Books. 22+.

126Suresnes American Military Cemetery and Memorial outside of Paris is the resting place for 1,541 American soldiers killed in WWI, and later those of WWII. The cemetery is maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. See “Suresnes American Cemetery,” American Battle Monuments Commission.

127“If ye break faith with us who die…” is from the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. See Chapter 1, Note 22.

128The battle for Belgium (May 10–28, 1940) was fought across the fields of Flanders and south Belgium. It ended in the surrender of Belgium and the withdrawal of Allied forces to Dunkirk, France, where they were evacuated. The evacuation from Dunkirk is vividly portrayed in the 2017 film Dunkirk, written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 74–118.

129“In Flanders fields the poppies weep…,” is from the 1940 poem “Flanders, 1940” by D. Maitland Bushby. It is unknown where this poem first appeared in print. D. M. Bushby was elected as an honorary member of the Literary and Art Institute of France. See Bushby, D. Maitland. “Flanders, 1940.”

130During the time the U.S. was neutral, Robert Montgomery joined the American Field Service and drove ambulances in France. When the U.S. became involved, he joined the U.S. Navy and was part of the D-Day invasion aboard the destroyer USS Barton. He rose to the rank of lieutenant commander. See Lee, “Montgomery, Robert, LCDR,” TWS.

131One faction of the Belgian government in exile established itself in Limoges where King Léopold’s surrender was denounced. Vive la Belgique (“Long Live Belgium”) was the battle cry of Belgian soldiers after Belgium surrendered to Germany. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour (91, 95); see Pershing (269–271).

133Noblesse oblige is “the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior associated with high rank or birth.”

134Bordeaux was a major embarkation port in France to take American citizens fleeing political uncertainty back to America. MLD refers to the last voyage from Europe that the SS Washington was to make for the sole purpose of bringing American citizens back to America. The voyage originated in Genoa, Italy, ten days before Italy declared war on Great Britain and France. See “Notice to American passengers aboard SS Washington 07 June 1940,” ECU Libraries Digital Collections; “Telegram Issued by the Secretary of State (Hull) to the Ambassador in France (Bullitt) on May 28, 1940,” Office of the Historian.

135On June 3, 1940, the Citroën automobile plant in Paris was severely damaged in a German air attack. See Green. 228.

136George VI was king of the United Kingdom, 1936–1952. Notably portrayed in the film The King’s Speech, Dir. Tom Hooper.

137“We shall fight on the beaches” are words from Churchill’s famous “We shall fight on the beaches” speech to the House of Commons. See Churchill, Address: “We shall fight on the beaches,” June 4, 1940.

138Moroccan Cavalry, a unit of the French Foreign Legion, was established in 1939. It took part in the Battle of France in June 1940. After the Armistice between France and Germany was signed in June, the unit stayed in France until September, returned to North Africa and disbanded. It was reactivated in 1946. See “Moroccans in the Netherlands,” Verzets Résistance Museum.

139History dictates Napoléon won battles through his leadership of his men and through his prowess as one who understood the battlefield. See Dean, “Napoléon as a Military Commander.”

140As the Battle of France was waging, General Weygand ordered: “Let us cling to the soil of France… Whatever are our personal anguish and our intimate sorrows, let us cling to our duty, to our daily task—let us hold with a sacred passion to the post where Destiny has placed us without any thought of retreating.” However, with the onslaught of the German Army, General Weygand supported an armistice between France and Germany; he was heavily criticized for this position during and after the war. See Singer. 176–194.

141An open city implies that the invading army will experience no resistance from the opposing force in order for the city to avoid destruction. All defensive efforts are abandoned. Weygand declared Paris an “open city” in order to preserve the beautiful cultural history of Paris. See Singer. 107.

142“Out of defeat comes the secret of victory” is a quotation from the essay “Fidelity” by Mary Baker Eddy in her collection of Christian Science writings. MLD was a student of Christian Science, which was founded by Mary Baker Eddy. See Eddy, Mary Baker, “Fidelity.” 339.

143Ancient Chinese believed the Heavenly dog devoured the moon in a lunar eclipse. Theodore White used this folklore to describe the night of the Japanese bombing of Chungking on May 3, 1939. See White and Jacoby, Thunder out of China. 20.

144“France is always saved in the eleventh hour by a miracle” is a reference to the eleventh hour in the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16 KJV). Miraculous events that take place in the last hour still reap the full benefits of the miracle. Authors such as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote, “In the spring of 1940, everybody was repeating an ancient French saw: ‘France is always saved in the eleventh hour by a miracle.’” See Saint-Exupéry, Airman’s Odyssey, “Flight to Arras.” 335.

146The swastika in the twentieth century going forward is seen as a symbol of pure evil. In earlier times it was a symbol of well-being in Eurasian cultures, especially India. See “The History of the Swastika,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

147German government made its headquarters in occupied France at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. Glass. 37, 66.

148Michael Neiberg, in his book When France Fell, refers to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson who said that the fall of France was “the most shocking single event of the war.” See Neiberg. 1.

1Dr. Thierry de Martel, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, committed suicide rather than live under Nazi rule. Much of his beliefs and his life are related in Charles Glass’ book Americans in Paris: Life and Death under Nazi Occupation. See Glass. 66–68.

2Le Matin (The Morning) is a Paris morning newspaper whose editor offered to collaborate with the Nazi government. Maurice Bunau-Varilla, owner of Le Matin, was anti-communism and admired Hitler. He directed his editorial staff to write pro-German articles. Over his lifetime he worked with his brother, Phillipe, on influencing major events of the time including the Dreyfus Affair and the building of the Panama Canal. See Le Matin. Ed. Maurice Bunau-Varilla.

3Les Nouveaux Temps (The New Times) is a daily evening newspaper whose editor supported the French policy of Otto Abetz, German ambassador to Paris. See “Les Nouveaux Temps,” Dir. Jean Luchaire.

4The 1940 newspaper Les Dernières nouvelles de Paris (The Latest News of Paris) adopted the German point of view and was skeptical in the success of the French government. See Lib. of Cong., Newspaper: Les Dernières nouvelles de Paris.

5Stéphane Lauzanne left Le Matin in 1940 after the paper adopted a pro-Nazi stance. In 1939 he wrote about the SS St. Louis tragedy in which 900 Jews fled Germany to Havana only to be turned away in Havana and forced to return to Europe where 250 were killed. See Lauzanne, “Le problème des réfugiés juifs”; Goodwin. 102.

6La Victoire is a Parisian publication of Gustave Hervé often thought to reflect French fascism. See Audiat. 22.

7MLD refers to the “Earthly Paradise” poems written by the British poet William Morris (1834–1896) between the years 1868–1870. See Morris, The Earthly Paradise.

8Maréchal Philippe Pétain (Marshal Pétain) became Prime Minister of France in the Vichy Regime (1940-1942). A hero of Verdun in WWI, he supported an armistice with Germany and collaborated with Nazi Germany in WWII. Staunch allies for a free France were abhorred by Pétain’s armistice and thought France should have fought for its freedom from Nazi rule. After WWII Pétain was convicted of treason and sentenced to death but commuted to life in prison because of the years he served France in WWI. Pétain’s role in WWII is well documented in Jackson’s book France: The Dark Years 1940–1944.

9Free France was the French government in exile, which was led by Charles de Gaulle from London. Free French forces were located in North Africa under General Giraud. See Jackson. 9, 398–400.

11Benito Mussolini was Prime Minister of Italy, 1922–1943, and dictator 1925–1943. He founded the National Fascist Party of Italy in 1919 and was known as Il Duce from 1919 until his execution in 1945. He used autocratic rule by suppressing the individual and any opposition. See Speer. 71, 308.

12Mussolini’s declaration of war against France on 10 June 1940, was seen as “a stab in the back.” The words came from French Premier Paul Reynaud in a June 10 letter to U.S. President Roosevelt. In turn, FDR delivered his “stab-in-the-back” speech the same day in a commencement address to the University of Virginia. See “The Text of President Roosevelt’s Address at Charlottesville,” The New York Times, June 11, 1940.

13The building of the Triumphal Arch, also known as the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) was requested by Napoléon in 1806. It was inaugurated in 1836 and dedicated to the armies of the French Revolution and the Empire of France. It is located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle.

14Albert Speer accompanied Hitler on his visit to Paris where Hitler requested he be shown the Opéra. The Opéra [Garnier] or the Palais Garnier is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. It was built in 1861–1875 as ordered by Emperor Napoléon III. Hitler with his artists and architects “drove past the Madeleine, down the Champs-Élysées, on to the Trocadéro, and then to the Eiffel Tower.” Hitler also stopped to see the Arc de Triomphe with its Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He then requested to go to the Invalides, “where Hitler stood for a long time at the tomb of Napoléon. Finally, Hitler inspected the Panthéon, whose proportions greatly impressed him.” See Speer. 171–172.

15MLD’s reference to the Heil Hitler (Hail Hitler) salute is her statement of anguish that her beloved France should now be occupied by the fascist regime of Germany. The salute is made by raising the straightened right hand with a straightened right arm from the neck into the air. See Speer. 392.

16The French Résistance was composed of organized activities to undermine and fight the Nazi Occupation of France. Jackson details the activities of the various resistance movements. See Jackson. 385–523.

17General Charles de Gaulle exceled in WWI, worked with the French Résistance in WWII, led the Free French Army to regain Paris in 1944, led the French provisional government 1944–1946, and was elected President 1959–1969. See Jackson, France: The Dark Years.

18Cross of Lorraine is the symbol adopted by Charles de Gaulle to represent Free France. See Glass. 279.

19Colonies of the Third French Republic in 1940 included territories on the continents of Africa and South America and territories in the Caribbean and French Indochina. See Jackson. 94, 101–102.

20Esthonia is an alternate form of Estonia, which is the more popular form today.

21Super race, or superrace, is a race or nation held to be superior to others. Nazi Germans talked of being part of a master race, which is superior to other races. Speer wrote in Inside the Third Reich Hitler believed the Germanic people were superior to the Negro (73), the Arab (96), and the yellow race (121). He expressed hatred for the Jew (20) and wanted to subjugate the nations of the world (523).

22“They will cheat you yet…” were words most closely uttered by the German journalist, Dr. Hermann Rosemeier, to Dr. Frank Bohn of the American Alliance for Labor and Democracy. While exiled in Switzerland his words appeared in print in the magazine Mixer and Server. See Rosemeier Interview, Mixer and Server Magazine, August 31, 1917. 45.

24MLD is referring to the Château de Candé where the American Embassy staff set up temporary quarters before moving to Vichy. Candé is today in the Department of Maine-et-Loire in western France. See Glass. 60.

25Le Figaro is a French national newspaper that went into exile in 1942 and reappeared after WWII. It is now the second largest newspaper in France. See Le Figaro 1854–1942. Paris: BnF Gallica for archived editions.

26Les Halles was Paris’s central fresh food market. It has been thought of as the heart and soul of Paris. The Les Halles facility as known to MLD was demolished in 1971 and replaced with the Forum des Halles. See Kasten, “Modernization Versus Preservation in Paris During the Gaullist Era: A Tale of Two Cities.”

27Madame de Ropp, also known as Baronne de Ropp, is Marie Woodman, married to Baron William Sylvester de Ropp, a British agent. MLD often dined with Madame de Ropp.

28General Charles Mangin’s (1866–1925) legacy was created in WWI in the Second Battle of the Marne, which turned the tide of the war. See Dilkes, Charles, Remembering World War One: An Engineer’s Diary of the War. 78.

29Place Vauban is a semi-circular square in the 7th arrondissement by the Hôtel des Invalides where Napoléon is entombed.

30Adrienne Monnier (1892–1955) is the French owner of the book store La Maison des Amies des Livres (The House of Friends of Books) for French writers, readers, and artists. At one point she was a lover to the American Sylvia Beach, who owned the Shakespeare and Company bookstore. The two stayed in Paris throughout WWII. See Glass. 89–97.

31“Réveille” is played after “The Last Post” as a final honor to a soldier of France who has died. See Jarrett and Walters, “Reveille or Rouse.”

32Portugal was neutral in WWII and Lisbon found itself a major embarkation point for people trying to flee the turmoil in Europe. See Hatton. 237–244.

33Maggy Rouff (1896–1971) was a dressmaker known for introducing ruffles into her designs. Her clientele included women from all over western Europe. Charles Glass wrote about upper class life in Paris in his book Americans in Paris. See Glass. 132–133, 354–355.

34The battle of Mers-el-Kébir between Great Britain and France was controversial. Since France had signed an armistice with Germany, and since French assets were now under the control of Marshall Pétain and Nazi Germany, Great Britain did not want to risk seven French battleships falling into German hands. The British naval attack on French Navy ships at the naval base at Mers-el-Kébir took place on July 3, 1940. See Jackson, France: The Dark Years. 128.

35Records of the American Export Lines’ sailings to help refugees are kept by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. See “American Export Lines,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

36Nazi forces were housed in people’s homes in the occupied country. See Kladstrup. 45–52.

37Gestapo was the secret police of Nazi Germany. It is a shortened form of the German word “Geheim Staatspolizei.” See The Heel of the Conqueror. 188.

38Chambre refers to the Chambre des Députés and the Senate to the French Senate. They constituted the National Assembly which made the laws for the Vichy Regime. The Chambre is not part of the government of today’s Fifth Republic.

39“That curious dread of life which steals through the twilight,” is a quote from Memoirs of My Dead Life by George Moore, Chapter VIII. 99.

41The great débacle refers to the German invasion of France and the subsequent Occupation of Paris. See Jackson. 112–136.

42July 14 is Bastille Day, the most patriotic national holiday that honors the storming of the bastille in 1789, which was the turning point of the French Revolution. Bastille Day in France, July 14, 1940, is marked as a day of mourning. See Archambault, The New York Times, July 15, 1940.

43During the Nazi era the German national anthem was the first verse of “Deutschlandlied,” which included the lyrics “Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles”, followed by “Horst Wessel Lied.” After WWII the German national anthem became the third verse of “Deutschlandlied” with the first two verses purposely omitted because of their association with Nazi Germany. The music for “Deutschlandlied” was composed by Haydn, and the lyrics were written by the German poet August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben. See Patton, James, “Germany Gets a New National Anthem,” Roads to the Great War, October 7, 2020.

44Deux Magots Café carries on its reputation and traditions today as a rendezvous for artists, literary, and intellectual elites. Over the years it has transformed from a novelty shop to a café. See “Les Deux Magots,” Les Deux Magots Paris.

45As the German Army prepared to enter Paris, and since the United States was a neutral country in the war, American citizens with assets in France came to the Embassy to request Applications for the Protection of Property Certificates. It was understood but not always administered that the assets of citizens of a neutral country would not be commandeered. Nancy L. Green refers to these certificates in her book The Other Americans in Paris. 241. The U.S. Embassy seal was placed over the door to the American Library on the rue de Téhéran; the seal certified the library was American property and was not to be seized by the German government. See Glass. 115.

46Hôpital de la Pitié (La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital) was requisitioned by the German Army in WWII; the hospital was also a place of French Résistance. Medical facilities such as hospitals played a major role in the Résistance. Charles Glass describes the resistance activities at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine. See Glass. 136.

47“Cowardice and cruelty amongst mankind…” is from a biography Romain Rolland wrote of Mahatma Gandhi in 1924 and translated by Catherine D. Groth. The actual words are “We have seen…the hypocrisy, the cowardice, and the cruelty of mankind. But this does not prevent us from loving mankind.” Romain Rolland (1866–1944) was a French Nobel Prize novelist. See Rolland, Mahatma Gandhi: The Man Who Became One with the Universal Being. Chapter 5.

48Le Bourget (officially Aeroport de Paris-Le Bourget) is an airport northeast of Paris. Hitler landed here on his visit to Paris. See Speer. 171. Today the airport hosts the annual Paris Air Show.

49Hitler’s “lonely peaks of power” is quoted in the Preface to Nemesis? The Story of Otto Strasser by Douglas Reed. (Note: Otto Strasser supported workers’ rights as a member of the Nazi party until he was expelled by Hitler.) See Reed. 3.

50Hitler spoke of the annihilation of Anglo-French forces in his speech to the Reichstag on July 19, 1940. This speech recognized Germany’s victory over France. In this speech to his Deputies and the Men of the German Reichstag, he told them Providence has been with “all of us” and will continue to be. See Hitler, “Adolf Hitler’s Address to the Reichstag (19 July 1940).”

51President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is nominated again by the Democratic Party on July 18, 1940, to be the party’s candidate for president of the U.S. for an unusual third consecutive term. “To make America strong…,” were words spoken by James Farley, chairman of the Democratic Party Convention, as a preamble to the 1940 Democratic Party Platform. See Goodwin. 125–135.

53Georges Mandel (1885–1944) was the French Minister of the Interior. As a proponent of Free France, in 1940 he fled to French North Africa, was captured, sentenced, and ultimately executed in 1944. Mandel’s experience on the Massilia is well documented. Churchill thought highly of Mandel. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 179, 221.

54“As pale and faint as the blue ash of a cigarette” is from Memoirs of My Dead Life by George Moore. See Moore. 42.

55“Like a miniature in a case” is from Memoirs of My Dead Life by George Moore. Memoirs of My Dead Life is a favorite literary source of Marie-Louise Dilkes. See Moore. 44.

56Fresnes is a French prison ten miles south of Paris that during Germany’s Occupation of France was used by Germany to imprison captured British special agents and members of the French Résistance. After the war Pierre Laval, a collaborator with Nazi Germany, was held in the condemned block of Fresnes and executed there in 1945. The Heel of the Conqueror. 54; see Jackson. 577.

57Sir Nevile Meyrick Henderson (1882–1942) was the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Nazi Germany from 1937–1939. He wrote Failure of a Mission as an account of this tragic time. History is critical of the role he played or should have played. See Henderson, Failure of a Mission.

58MLD includes in her writing one of Nevile Henderson’s experiences as the UK Ambassador: Hitler’s announcement he is annexing his home country of Austria into Nazi Germany (the Anschluss). See Henderson. 125–126.

59Haus der Flieger (House of Aviators) is the building for Nazi government offices used mainly by Hermann Göring who was in charge of the Luftwaffe (the German air force). See Henderson. 124.

60Kurt Schuschnigg was the Austrian leader forced to resign under threat of Germany’s invasion of Austria. In his radio message to the Austrian people he said, “The president of the Republic of Austria has asked me to communicate to the Austrian people that we will not put up any resistance to violence.” He ended his powerful address on March 11, 1938: “God protect Austria.” For the actual radio broadcast, see Schuschnigg, “Last broadcast address as Austrian Chancellor.” For historical perspective, see Bistrovic, “Austria’s ‘Anschluss’ with Germany in 1938.”

61Arthur Seyss-Inquart (1892–1946) was a Nazi political appointment as Austria’s Minister of the Interior. In his radio message on March 12, 1938, the day after German troops marched into Austria, as Minister of the Interior he asked the SA (brown-shirted Storm Troopers) and the SS (black-shirted protective squad) to act as auxiliary police. He gave the order to offer no resistance to the entry of the German troops. Throughout WWII Arthur Seyss-Inquart held various Nazi posts; he was tried for his war crimes at Nürnberg and executed in 1946. See “Arthur Seyss-Inquart,” Propagander3.tripod.com.

62The Hapsburg (aka Habsburg) Empire included the plains region of Europe that was divided after WWI into Romania, Hungary, Austria, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia. Sir Nevile Henderson is referring to the decline of the Hapsburg Empire and the Mayerling Incident. See Henderson. 125.

63Today Hôtel Lutetia at 45 Boulevard Raspail in the 6th arrondissement on the Left Bank is known for its architecture and WWII history. See “LVTETIA,” HotelLutetia.com. Hôtel Majestic, 19 Avenue Kléber, in the 16th arrondissement is now The Peninsula Paris. In WWII it was the headquarters for the German military high command and site of the German exit permit office. See Heise, “Places where You Can Still See Evidence of the Nazi Occupation of Paris.”

65Hôtel Matignon at 57 rue de Varenne was a section headquarters for the Gestapo. Today it is the residence of the French Prime Minister. See Abbott, “I Was Looking Forward to a Quiet Old Age,” and “Hotel Matignon,” EUtouring.com.

66On one occasion the cannons were removed for the ceremony in which Hitler ordered the remains of Napoléon II be brought from Vienna to Paris to be entombed next to his father, Napoléon, in the Invalides. Reentombment took place on December 15, 1940. See “Napoléon’s Tomb,” Granger Historical Picture Archive.

67Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées is the Champs-Élysées roundabout in the 8th arrondissement between the Place de l’Étoile (aka Place Charles de Gaulle) and the Place de la Concorde. See map of Paris with arrondissements.

68Georges Clémenceau (1841–1929) is known as the “Tiger” for his hard-line stance against Germany. He was a statesman, Prime Minister from 1906–1909 and 1917–1920, and Minister of War. He was the hero of World War I when he negotiated the unconditional surrender of Germany. See Singer. 5, 44.

69“Qu’il était bleu, le ciel, et grand, l’espoir!” is from the poem “Colloque sentimental” by Paul Verlaine (1844–1896). It is freely translated as the poem “Sentimental symposium”: “How blue was the sky, and great, the hope!” See Verlaine, “Colloque sentimental,” Fêtes galantes.

70Bois de Boulogne is a public park on west side of the 16th arrondissement. See map of Paris with arrondissements.

71The Grands Boulevards, typically tree-lined, are the favorite boulevards of Parisians for promenading. They include the Boulevard Beaumarchais, Filles-du-Calvaire, Temple, Saint-Martin, Saint-Denis, Bonne-Nouvelle, Poissonnière, Montmartre, Italiens, Capucines and the Madeleine boulevards. See “Boulevards of Paris,” Wikipedia.

72Peggy de Nemours, née Margaret Watson, and Prince Charles Philippe are the Duke and Duchess of Nemours. She was from Washington, D.C.; he was the great grandson of King Louis Philippe I of France. See “Franco-American Duchess: Margaret ‘Golden Peggy’ Watson,” The Esoteric Curiosa.

73Hervé Le Boterf wrote of the “Cabaret” on Avenue Victor-Emmanuel III. It is no longer in business. See Le Boterf, La Vie Parisienne sous l’Occupation, Vol. II. 116.

74Victor Emmanuel III (1869–1947) was king of Italy. Italy fought with the Allies in WWI, thus a street in Paris was named in his honor. However, with Italy’s support for the Axis Powers in WWII, the Avenue Victor-Emmanuel III was renamed Franklin D. Roosevelt Avenue after the end of WWII. See “Franklin D. Roosevelt (Paris Metro.), Wikipedia.

75On the eve of the Battle of France, General Weygand replaced General Gamelin as commander in chief of the French Army. He criticized King Léopold III’s decision to surrender to Germany and outlined an alternate strategy for which Weygand could garner no support. (Singer in Maxime Weygand, 103–105, thought Weygand should have replaced Gamelin years earlier; Jackson in France: The Dark Years, 118, thought it was a mistake to replace Gamelin.)

76“Our raging contemporary times” is quoted from Nemesis? The Story of Otto Strasser by Douglas Reed. See Reed, Preface. 2.

77Stalin: Czar of All the Russias isa biography of Stalin by Eugene Lyons, published in 1940. Lyons saw Russia as a country torn between European and Asiatic influences. He postulates that Asiatic influences dominated in Russia during the time of Stalin. See Lyons. 155.

78Eugene Lyons wrote about the leaders of the Soviet Union that gave rise to Communism as the country’s form of government. Vladimir Lenin (1870–1924) was leader of the Soviet movement 1917–1924. Leon Trotsky (né Lev Davidovich Bronstein: 1879–1940) was a Marxist who managed the Russian Revolution but was later disavowed by Stalin. Karl Radek (1885–1939) was a Marxist and became an international Communist leader in the Soviet Union; he was purged in 1937 and died in a labor camp. Stalin prevailed. See Lyons, Stalin: Czar of All the Russias.

81The Siberian desert, or the Chara Sands, is a region of sand dunes in northern Asia near the Udokan and Kodar Mountains. It is close to the Chara River. The Novaya Chara urban settlement is located there today. See “Chara Sands: mysterious Siberian desert,” 56 Parallel.com

82First Lieutenant Edward Leopold Huffer (1886–1975) was assigned as Asst. Military Attaché in September 1918. MLD would have worked with him in 1921 when she was the code clerk for Colonel T. B. Mott, Military Attaché for the American Embassy in Paris. See “Embassies and Legations of the United States,” Congressional Directory for the 66th Congress, July 1919. 382.

83In the Battle of the Alps (June 10–25, 1940), a conflict between France and Italy, the French retreated from the Menton sector. An armistice was negotiated with Italy, who retained the French territory it had captured. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 129–130.

84MLD wrote, “Those who will write the history of France under the iron heel of the conqueror will not perhaps relate the small details of this extraordinary life we are leading in Paris.” The editors of Time-Life Books capture with text, essays, and illustrations what life was like under Nazi rule in their book The Heel of the Conqueror. See The Heel of the Conqueror, Time-Life Books.

85The BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, broadcasted Churchill’s speech on August 20, 1940, to the House of Commons: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.” See Churchill, Address to the House of Commons: “The Few.”

86William Christian Bullitt, Jr. (1881–1967), U.S. Ambassador to France (1936–1940), helped negotiate the surrender of Paris to the Germans. See Beevor (117). He delivered his “America Is in Danger” speech to the American Philosophical Society in Independence Square, Philadelphia, PA, on August 18, 1940. See Bullitt, Address: “America Is in Danger.”

88Dies Committee, also known as the House Committee on Un-American Activities or HUAC (1938–1975), was chaired by Martin Dies (1901–1972), a Democratic Congressman from Texas. HUAC investigated international political ideologies operating in America that it believed were antithetical to our democratic principles including Communism and the pro-Nazi views of the German-American Bund. See “German-American Bund,” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

89Robert Daniel Murphy (1894–1978) was the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Paris to the Vichy government in 1940. [Note: He would become the Under Secretary of State in 1959.] See “Robert D. Murphy,” The Foreign Service Journal, October 1940. 572.

90Michael Neiberg saw Robert Murphy as an American diplomat “destined to sit at the center of America’s French policy for the next three years.” When France Fell, 22.

91“Walk with Kings–nor lose the common touch…,” from the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936), verse 4: line 2. See Kipling, “If,” Rewards and Fairies.

92The All-Father is considered to be the father of all men and gods and all things that were made by him and by his might. It is commonly found in Norse and Irish mythology. MLD is most likely transferring this concept to the God of Christianity. See Skjalden, “Odin: The Allfather,” Nordic Culture. See Ephesians 4:6.

94“Envy and calumny and hate and pain…,” from the poem “Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). See Shelley, “Adonais: An Elegy on the Death of John Keats.” verse XL, line 2.

95“Roule, roule ton flot…,” from Verlaine’s poem “Nocturne Parisien (Of a Paris Night),” translated, “Roll, roll your lazy stream, gloomy Seine…”. See Verlaine, “Nocturne Parisien,” Poèmes saturniens (1:1).

96The destroyers-for-bases deal was signed on September 2, 1940. The U.S. Neutrality Act of 1935 prevented the U.S. from sending troops unless attacked; it did not preclude sending ships. See Goodwin. 137–149.

97The status today of the naval bases MLD cited that were part of the destroyers-for-bases deal:

๐Bermuda remains a British overseas territory (see Heaton and Rushe, “Bermuda”).

๐Trinidad, now known as Trinidad and Tobago, gained independence from Great Britain in 1962 and is now its own sovereign nation (see Robinson, et al. “Trinidad and Tobago”).

๐Jamaica gained independence from Great Britain in 1962 and is now its own sovereign nation (see Ferguson and Black, “Jamaica”).

๐Saint Lucia achieved independence in 1979 and retained membership in the British Commonwealth of Nations (see Momsen and Niddrie, “Saint Lucia”).

๐British Guiana now known as Guyana became independent in 1966 and retained membership in the British Commonwealth of Nations (see Richardson and Menke, “Guyana”).

๐Newfoundland has become a Canadian province (see Harris and Hiller, “Newfoundland and Labrador”).

98The United States also gained rights to install naval bases in the Bahamas and Antigua, which were part of the destroyers-for-bases deal. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 414.

99MLD’s brother, Joseph Harold Dilkes (1898–1978), “Joe,” worked for the Singer Manufacturing Company in Central and South America.

100Church of the Madeleine is a Roman Catholic Church in the 8th arrondissement. Flowers at the foot of the Church of the Madeleine are a traditional site. See Viollet, “World War II. Flower Market, Paris, Place de la Madeleine,” Granger.

101In July 1940 The New York Times reported “Nazis Object to Statue of Edith Cavell in Paris.” Edith Cavell was a British nurse in WWI who provided medical care to soldiers on both sides of the conflict without discrimination. See “Nazis Object to Statue of Edith Cavell in Paris,” The New York Times, July 16, 1940.

102“Sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleave of care,” is said by Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. See Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act II, scene II.

103“Do Not Forget Oran” refers to the Battle of Mers-el-Kébir when Britain bombed French ships. [Note: The towns of Oran and Mers-el-Kébir in Algeria are only six miles (10 km) apart.]

104The Tricolor, or the French Tricolor, is a reference to the flag of France. See Smith, “Flag of France,” Encyclopedia Britannica.

105Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act on September 16, 1940. See Borneman. 203; Goodwin. 147, 149.

106Auteuil is an area in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. See map of Paris with arrondissements.

107MLD wrote: “Trades people of the Jewish race must display a notice…with the sign ‘Jewish Enterprise.’ Most people see Judaism as a religion, ethnicity, or culture but not a race.” See Rich, “What is Judaism?” Judaism from Judaism 101.

108The major Axis powers were Germany, Italy, and Japan. The Axis Alliance was formally joined on September 27, 1940. Hungary joined on November 20, 1940; Romania joined on November 23, 1940; and Bulgaria joined on March 1, 1941. See “Axis Alliance in World War II,” Holocaust Encyclopedia.

110Göring committed suicide in 1946. See “High-ranking Nazi leader Hermann Göring dies,” History. Brauchitsch died a natural death in 1948. See “Brauchtisch Dies of Heart Attack,” The New York Times, October 20, 1948: 7. Himmler committed suicide in 1945. See “Nazi SS Chief Heinrich Himmler dies by suicide,” History.

111Walther von Brauchitsch (1881–1948) was the Commander in Chief of the German Army. In the Battle of France, he was the messenger between Hitler and Halder, Chief of the German General Staff. Hitler via Brauchitsch instructed Halder to withhold the armored formations for future use, which opened up the opportunity for British and French forces to retreat to Dunkirk. After the Battle of France, Brauchitsch was promoted to Field Marshal. See Speer (107); Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 76–77.

112The Petit Palais is an art museum on the Avenue Alexandre-III (now Avenue Winston-Churchill) in the 8th arrondissement. Members of the Freemasons, a secret society, were persecuted under Nazi Germany rule. See Jackson. 151, 158.

113Le Petit Parisien (1876–1944) was a French newspaper that became the voice of the Vichy government. In 1940 the newspaper was directed by Jean Dupuy who was a Collaborationist. He died in 1944. See “Le Petit Parisien: 1876-1944,” BnF Gallica, October 11, 1940.

114The Trocadéro area in the 16th arrondissement is noted in Albert Speer’s narrative of Hitler’s visit to Paris during the Nazi Occupation as one of Hitler’s requested stops. See Speer. 172.

115Northumberland is a county in northeast England that borders Scotland to the north. See “Northumberland,” Wikipedia.

116“I’ll lay me down and bleed a-while” are words from folksongs written about Sir Andrew Barton (1466–1511). He was a legendary privateer eulogized in song. Words attributed to him are in the English folk song “Andrew Barton,” Child Ballad #167, and in the Scottish folk song “Henry Martyn,” Child Ballad #250. The earliest record of these folk songs is the 1710 Roxburghe collection. Francis J. Child created an authoritative collection in his book The English and Scottish Popular Ballads published in 1884–1898. See “Andrew Barton, Child Ballad #167,” The English and Scottish Popular Ballads.

117Rumania/Romania was neutral as of October 1940. Rumania gained territory in WWI but lost it in dispute; thus, Rumania decided to join the Axis powers in November 1940.

118The editor of Pantagruel is the Parisian music publisher, Raymond Deiss (1893–1943), from the Alsace region of France. He worked with two brothers, René and Robert Blanc, who were linotypists, and Roger Lescaret, printer. He printed sixteen sheets for the French Résistance before he was captured and beheaded in Cologne, Germany. See “Raymond Deiss,” Musée de la Résistance en Ligne.

119François Rabelais (1494–1553) was a French Renaissance writer known for the comic works Gargantua and Pantagruel. In a series of five novels Rabelais wrote of the adventures of two giants: Gargantua, the father, and Pantagruel, the son. Raymond Deiss named his clandestine information sheet after the character Pantagruel. See Rabelais, “Rabelais: Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book I,” gutenberg.org.

120Dakar, now known as Senegal, was under Vichy/Nazi control. In September 1940 British and Free French fighters attacked the strategic West Africa port of Dakar in Operation Menace and were defeated by Vichy loyalists. De Gaulle thought erroneously the Vichy French fighters would switch and support Free France. See Singer (138–141). Richelieu was a French battleship whose crew was loyal to the Vichy government. It helped defeat the British in the Battle of Dakar (Operation Menace). See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 473–494.

122William McAdoo was Secretary of the Treasury during WWI and created the means to fund the U.S. involvement in WWI. See Pershing, vol. 1. 371.

123“Those great men in our history who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their honor to our new, young country” is a reference to the signers of our Declaration of Independence and to what each pledged in 1776 in our fight for independence from Great Britain. See Tourtellot, “We Mutually Pledge To Each Other Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor,” American Heritage.

124The Washington Star, a Washington, D.C. evening newspaper, was published 1852–1981. See Lib. of Cong., Newspaper: “The Washington Star,” [Washington, D.C.], U.S. Govt. Web.

125The Philadelphia Record, a Philadelphia daily newspaper, was published 1879–1947. See “Lib. of Cong., Newspaper: “The Philadelphia Record” [Philadelphia, Pa.], U.S. Govt. Web.

126The New York Herald Tribune, a New York City morning newspaper, was published 1926–1966. See Lib. of Cong., Newspaper: “New York Herald Tribune,” [New York], U.S. Govt. Web.

127The Consul General of Spain in Paris (1939–1943) was Bernardo Rolland de Miota. He worked to help U.S. citizens, especially Jews, leave France. See “Bernardo Rolland de Miota,” The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

128“It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary” is a British and/or Irish song written by Jack Judge and/or Harry Williams and popularized by John McCormack in the WWI era and carried over to WWII. See McCormack, “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary,” YouTube.

129Café de la Paix located at 5 Place de l’Opéra was a popular hangout for Nazi troops during the Occupation. See Heritage Images, Keystone Archives, “Occupying German troops outside the Café de la Paix, Paris, World War II, c. 1940–c. 1944.”

130The Hôtel Ritz located at 15 Place Vendôme was the headquarters in Paris for Göring and the German air force. See “The History of The Ritz Paris Hotel and its Renovation,” EUtouring.com.

131Jeanne Lanvin is a famous and the oldest dressmaker establishment in France since 1889. See Reddy, “Fashion History Timeline: 1940–1949.”

132L’Illustration, a weekly French newspaper (1843–1944) with color pictures, was pro-Vichy during WWII. See L’Illustration, “The Vichy origins of modern France.”

133The Ministry of Marine building on the Place de la Concorde, where German soldiers once paraded, is being transformed into the Hôtel de la Marine in 2020. See Delorme, “The first look at the Hôtel de la Marine renovation in Paris,” Explore France.

134The “Punch and Judy Show” is a British slapstick comedy puppet show created in 1662 and viewed for over 350 years. See McRobbie, “Are Punch and Judy Shows Finally Outdated?” Smithsonian Magazine.

135Emile Heidsieck (1881–1968) is a member of the Heidsieck family champagne establishment. Emile married the widow (second wife) of Pierre Lorillard V and step mother-in-law of Mrs. Griswold Lorillard, MLD’s friend.

136Charles Heidsieck (1822–1893), called Champagne Charlie, was known for his champagne establishment, which produced the Champagne Charlie Brut Réserve champagne. The Heidsieck House was part of the Champagne Campaign, which participated in Résistance activities. See Kladstrup. 182–187.

138“We are all impressionists today…,” from the Memoirs of My Dead Life by George Moore. See Moore, Chapter 4. 26.

139“Walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling” are words written by Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), an Irish poet and playwright, in his letter Epistola: In Carcere et Vinculis. He wrote the letter in 1897 while incarcerated in the Reading Gaol to his lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. Oscar Wilde entitled the work Epistola: In Carcere et Vinculis and gave it to his friend, Robert Ross, who retitled it De Profundis. See Wilde, De Profundis. 151.

140Wendell Willkie was seen as an internationalist who supported extensive aid to Great Britain and a program to rearm America. See Neiberg, When France Fell, 53.

141MLD is referring to Election Day in America, November 5, 1940. Time zone differences between Paris and New York reveal the election results one day later in Paris. Wendell Willkie was the Republican nominee for U.S. President in 1940. See Krock, “Roosevelt Elected President…,” The New York Times, November 6, 1940.

142“To warm itself before the fire” are words from Swann’s Way, written by Marcel Proust (1871–1922), French novelist. He wrote À la Recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time) in seven volumes. Swann’s Way is the first of these seven volumes. À la Recherche du Temps Perdu has also been translated over the years as Remembrance of Things Past. See Proust, Swann’s Way, Combray, paragraph 2.

143To be presented to the Court of St. James’, the royal court for the sovereign of the United Kingdom, is an honor bestowed on ambassadors and those British subjects who have represented the UK well in foreign countries. See Olson. 27–30.

144Armistice Day is now known as Veterans Day. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed the Congressional bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day. See “Origins of Veterans Day,” Celebrating America’s Freedoms, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

145Turkey remained neutral in WWII until 1945 when it joined the Allies. Turkish troops never saw combat. See Churchill, The Hinge of Fate. 713, 791–792.

146Hitler was decorated twice in WWI with the Iron Cross for bravery. In 1914 he received the Iron Cross Second Class; in 1918 he received the Iron Cross First Class. See “Cross of Iron,” Military History Now.

147The bookstore included vases of chrysanthemums in its display, most likely to acknowledge Hitler’s love of his half-niece, Geli, whose favorite flower was the chrysanthemum. See “Hitler’s Doomed Angel,” Vanity Fair.

148Diana FitzHerbert is the American wife of a baronet and sister of the British Minister in China. A baronet is the lowest hereditary-titled British order with the status of a commoner but able to use the prefix “Sir”; a baronet’s wife can use the prefix “Lady.” A baronet has precedence below that of a baron.

149La Crémaillière is no longer in business. See Fabricant, “Menu Collection Offers a Taste of History,” The New York Times, March 24, 1982.

150Gallup surveys in 1940 asked the question: “Do you think Axis (Germany and Italy) or Allies (England and France) will win the war?” The respondents leaned toward the Allies two months before and after the Battle of France but leaned toward the Axis (Germany) the month of and month after the Battle of France. See “European War,” The Gallup Poll.

151Jean-François Houbigant founded his famous perfume house in Paris in 1775. See “The House of Houbigant,” Houbigant Paris.

153Hôtel Le Bristol Paris in 1940 became the preferred place for members of the American Embassy and American nationals living in Paris to reside. See Glass. 37.

154On December 4, 1940, Lady Diana FitzHerbert was arrested and interned at a women’s concentration camp in Besançon. She was one of the many British women and children who were rounded up. The American Embassy came to her aid since she was a U.S. citizen by birth. She was released on December 13 and made immediate arrangements to leave for New York. The Lady Diana FitzHerbert incident can also be found in Roy P. Porter’s book Uncensored France: An Eyewitness Account of France under the Occupation. See Porter (120). [Note: Roy Porter was a former Associated Press Correspondent in France.]

155The British Embassy Church was closed from June 1940–September 1944. See “The British Embassy Church in Paris Re-opens,” Imperial War Museums.

156Les Jardins du Luxembourg on the Left Bank in the 6th arrondissement were created in 1612. The Luxembourg Gardens display statues of historical figures:

๐Polish composer Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849). See “Chopin,” The Garden Guide, gardenvisit.com.

๐French literary critic Charles Sainte-Beuve (1804–1869). See “Sainte-Beuve,” eutouring.com.

๐French sculptor Alfred Boucher (1850–1934). See “Boucher,” eutouring.com.

๐French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721). See “Watteau,” eutouring.com.

๐French architect Alphonse de Gisors (1796–1866) with statues representing a faun and a huntress. See “Medici Fountain,” eutouring.com.

157Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), a Flemish Baroque portrait artist, was knighted and buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. He is known for his “Portrait of a Woman” and portraits of Charles I and his court. See “Van Dyck,” Sotheby’s.

158Nazi kultur is the German native culture, assumed superior to the culture of other countries, and is founded on teachings that national interests are more important than the individual.

159Pierre Laval, a French socialist politician turned fascist, offered his resignation as part of a collective action, and it was uniquely accepted by Pétain on December 13, 1940. Pétain asked Laval to return in April 1942 as Prime Minister. Much is written about Laval by Jackson in his book France: The Dark Years and Glass in his book Americans in Paris.

161Duc de Reichstadt (1811–1832), Napoléon’s son, is buried near his father in the Invalides.

162Faculté des Lettres of the University of Paris is referring to the French educational institution based at the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter. The University of Paris is often referred to as the Sorbonne. See Green. 28–29.

163Italy invaded Egypt in late summer 1940. In Operation Compass in December, British troops from the 7th Armored Division forced the Italian 10th Army to retreat. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 542+.

164The journalist Tucholsky wrote about some of the top cabaret artists of the time including Auguste Martini. See Burrows, Tucholsky and France. 166–167.

165William D. Leahy was U.S. Ambassador to France 1941–1942. He was appointed on November 29, 1940, but not presented until January 8, 1941, when he arrived in Vichy. See Jackson (177, 185) and Singer. 160. Leahy was a Fleet Admiral in the U.S. Navy and a trusted friend of President Roosevelt. See Borneman. 5; and Goodwin. 305.

1“That even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea” is from “The Garden of Proserpine” (11.7) by Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837–1909). See Swinburne, “The Garden of Proserpine,” Poems and Ballads.

2British troops defeated the Italian 10th Army at Bardia, Libya, on January 3, 1941, in the Battle of Bardia. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 614–616.

3Sainte Odile (662–720 A.D.) of the Alsace region of France is known as the patron of eye patients. She was granted sainthood by Pope Pius VII on December 13, 1807. The “Prophecies of Saint Odile and the End of the War” appeared at the time of WWI and were reignited during WWII when the dry holy spring dedicated to St. Odile began to flow again. See “Prophecies of Saint Odile,” Ellipsis Rare Books.

4Musée de l’Homme (Museum of Man) is an anthropology museum established in 1937 and located at the Place du Trocadéro and Place du 11 Novembre. “The Musée de l’Homme Résistance network was one of the earliest underground organizations of the French Résistance.” See “The Musée de l’Homme Résistance Network,” Musée de l’Homme.

5Résistance groups had names such as Résistance, The Chained Rooster, South Liberation, etc. Jackson refers to these various groups in his section entitled “The Résistance: Geography and Sociology.” See Jackson. 436–439.

6The incident took place on the evening of December 31, 1940, at the Ambassador Hotel. The British National Anthem is entitled “God Save the King” and America’s patriotic anthem is entitled “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.” Both songs have the same musical score. See “Un incident franco-américain à Vichy,” Le Matin, January 15, 1941: 1.

7MLD may be referring to the book Medieval France by Arthur Augustus Tilley published in 1922. See Tilley, Medieval France: A Companion to French Studies.

8Sylvia Beach (1887–1962) was the owner of the Shakespeare and Company bookshop and a patron to literary artists. Shakespeare and Company bookshop (and library) was open 1919–1941. It was closed due to an altercation with a Nazi officer and never reopened. Glass’ book Americans in Paris includes much on the life of Sylvia Beach as she chose to remain in Paris throughout the Occupation. MLD and Sylvia Beach would carry on a correspondence after the war (Ref. Princeton University Firestone Library).

9In January 1941 British, Australian, and Indian troops took Tobruk, Libya, from Italy along with 25,000 Italian prisoners. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 616.

10“Chaque chose à sa place” is a gay French tune from the 1940s. One version is on Columbia records sung by Jacques Pills with music and orchestra by Georges Van Parys and lyrics by Jean Boyer. See Vieux Disques, “Chaque chose à sa place.”

11Édouard Alphonse James de Rothschild (1868–1949) was the male heir to the Château de Ferrières-en-Brie. The Château de Ferrières-en-Brie was confiscated by the Germans, and its art collection was looted. After the war the château remained vacant until 1959 when Guy de Rothschild refurbished it for private entertaining. In 1975 the château was donated to the University of Paris and is now open to the public. See “Château de Ferrières,” Spotting History.

12“Not for the sake of the enemy, but for one’s own sake” are words written by Oscar Wilde in his book De Profundis. Oscar Wilde wrote this long love letter as The Ballad of Reading Gaol, which he gave to his friend, Robert Ross, who published it under the title De Profundis. See Wilde. 84.

14The Marius on the rue de Bourgogne in the 7th arrondissement is no longer in business. The restaurant has changed names and is now the location of the Michelin-star Loiseau Rive Gauche.

15The Biblical reference “But there was no sword in the hand of David” is from I Samuel 17:50 (KJV).

16Madame Dubonnet (Jean Nash) was a society celebrity and considered to be the “world’s best-dressed woman.” See “Jean Nash Sailing for Son’s Trial Here,” The New York Times, March 14, 1934.

17The rabbi was most likely wearing a rekel, a long black frock coat worn during the Jewish work week. MLD may be referring to the incident of the “grand rabbi,” Isak Leifer. See Green. 193.

18The “rosary game” is a confidence game to swindle unsuspecting individuals. A con artist would gain the confidence of gullible tourists by asking the tourists to hold some supposedly valuable item for the con artist while the con artist went on some errand. Then the con artist would have the tourists entrust the con artist with a large amount of the tourists’ own money, supposedly to buy discounted jewels or some such thing. The charming con artist Frenchman would simply disappear with the tourists’ money. See Levenstein. 304.

19Deauville and Le Touquet are northern France resort towns known for the rich and famous.

20Maxim’s on the Right Bank in the 8th arrondissement in 1950 was considered the world’s most famous restaurant. In WWII it was commandeered by the Nazis. See Kladstrup. 111.

21Revillon Frères was a French fur trading company founded in Paris in 1723 as La Maison Givelet. After it was purchased by Louis-Victor Revillon in 1839, it became known for its mink coats. It now does business as Cora-Revillon. See “Revillon Frères,” Furs by Chrys.

22Caroline Reboux (1837–1927) was a famous French milliner known as “Queen of the Milliners.” Through employment of workers who went on to establish other successful millineries, she was able to influence millinery fashion for years. Rose Valois was the name of a famous French millinery establishment in Paris from 1927–1970. It was founded by three women who used to work for Caroline Reboux. They were open for business during the Occupation. One of the three women, Vera Leigh, was active in the French Résistance, arrested, and executed in 1944. See Chico, “History of Women’s Hats,” Fashion History.

23Queen Consort of England is the title given to the wife of King George VI. After the death of King George VI and the ascension of their daughter Elizabeth to the throne, she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. See “Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother,” The Royal Household.

24Tickets were ration cards that functioned as a second form of currency and traded as such. See Kladstrup. 111; Glass. 163, 217.

25“We shall not weaken or tire…” is a quote from Winston Churchill’s “Give Us the Tools” broadcast on BBC Radio, February 9, 1941. See Churchill, Address: “Give Us the Tools,” February 9, 1941.

26Rumplemeyer’s on rue de Rivoli is now known as Angelina’s Tea House, named for the wife of the son of the founder, Antoine Rumpelmayer (1832–1914). In the memoir of Mrs. Virginia Hamill Biddle, a secretary in the Foreign Service of the U.S. in Washington, D.C., and abroad, Mrs. Biddle mentioned a lunch she had with MLD. Mrs. Biddle had just lost her brother, and “Miss Dilkes, the charming receptionist of the Embassy, took me to Rumplemeyer’s for lunch and was very sympathetic.” See Biddle, Virginia, “Memoir of Mrs. Virginia Hamill Biddle, 2011,” Library of Congress.

27Enrico Toselli (1883–1926), an Italian pianist and composer, is known for his Serenata, Op. 6, No. 1. See Cummings, “Enrico Toselli,” All Music.

28Nicolas Aubin Foucher (1780–1853) founded his chocolate factory in Paris in 1819. With the entrepreneurship of six generations, it is still in business today. See “Foucher,” Foucher Paris.

30MLD is most likely referring to horse races at the Paris Longchamp Racecourse in the Bois de Boulogne. See Zucca, “Paris under German Occupation during WWII: Color Pics by Andre Zucca,” History in Images.

31The Bill for aid to England is the Lend-Lease Act, which was to provide war supplies “vital to the defense of the United States.” The Bill received final House of Representatives’ approval on March 11, 1941. See Goodwin. 210–215.

32Solférino subway station in the 7th arrondissement on the Left Bank near the Musée d’Orsay is part of the Paris Metro system.

33During the Occupation General de Gaulle established his headquarters at 4 Carlton Gardens in London. See Olson. 205.

34Sainte-Clotilde Catholic Church on the Rue Las Cases was granted the distinction of minor basilica with accompanying privileges by Pope Leo XIII in 1896. It is known for its twin spires. See “Sainte-Clotilde,” Paroisse Sainte Clotilde.

35MLD wrote of the disappearance of Robert Neeser, who authored many books on the history of the U.S. Navy. Robert Wilden Neeser (1884–1940) was reported missing since September 30, 1940, Lyon, France. The Robert Wilden Neeser Collection is archived in the Yale University Library. See Fagniez, “Robert Neeser: généalogie par André Fagniez.” See also “Robert Wilden Neeser,” Find a Grave.

36U.S. Chargé d’Affaires was S. Pinkney Tuck. See Glass (199, 275); William D. Leahy was the U.S. Ambassador to France in Paris from January–May 1941 and to France in Vichy June 1941–May 1942. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 508.

37Rudolf Hess (1894–1987), Hitler’s deputy Führer, traveled to Scotland to negotiate peace with the United Kingdom but was arrested. He committed suicide in prison at the age of 93. Hess’ many travel attempts to meet with the Duke of Hamilton in Scotland is documented in The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson.

38Queen Wilhelmina of Holland reigned 1890–1948. During WWII her radio broadcasts from England made her a symbol for Dutch resistance to Nazi Occupation. See Olson. 205–206.

39Abyssinia refers to the Ethiopian Empire, which was composed of what are now Eritrea and the northern half of Ethiopia. In 1935 Italy invaded Abyssinia and forced its king, Haile Selassie, into exile. In 1941 with the help of British forces, Italy retreated and the King of Abyssinia returned home. See Churchill, Their Finest Hour. 612–626.

40Alistair Cooke is a British writer, who became a U.S. citizen in 1941 and worked as a radio broadcaster and later as a television personality. MLD is referring to his May 10, 1941, broadcast “American Commentary.” See Cooke, American Commentary, BBC Radio Network.

41Place des Pyramides in the 1st arrondissement is the location of the famous statue of Joan of Arc.

42Combatwas founded in 1941 as a publication for the French Résistance. See Jackson. 439.

43Fernand de Brinon represented the Vichy government to the German high command in occupied France. In 1942 he was Secretary of State to Laval’s Vichy government. In 1944 he signed a manifesto committing to the German war effort, and in exile on German soil he exercised authority over French citizens in Germany. He was executed in 1947. See Jackson. 213, 311, 553–587.

44Four days after the British radio reported on the flight of Rudolf Hess to Scotland, an article appeared in the May 15, 1941, edition of Le Matin (German controlled) with an explanation. See Les Notes Laissées en Allemagne par M. Rudolf Hess, 3.

45Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, Duke of Hamilton, was the Scottish aviator who Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess wanted to meet to negotiate a peace settlement with the United Kingdom.

47German Grand Admiral Erich Raeder developed naval plans to intercept convoys traveling between the United States and Britain. He advocated for submarines and fast cruisers to supplement the German naval fleet. See Beevor. 182.

48The SS Robin Moor was a U.S. Merchant Marine ship that was sunk by the German U-69 submarine in 1941 after ordering the crew and passengers to abandon ship. See Borneman. 200.

49Carte de Ravitaillement was a program in which supply cards that contained color-coded tickets were given to people living in occupied France to purchase food and personal items.

50Ascension Day is the day celebrated by Christians as the day Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1:1–10 KJV).

51“But those people—spiritually unconquered…” were words spoken by President Roosevelt in his Fireside Chat on May 27, 1941. See Roosevelt, “On an Unlimited National Emergency.”

52HMS Hood,the pride of the British navy, was Britain’s largest battle cruiser. It was sunk by the modern German battleship Bismarck on May 24, 1941. The Bismarck was sunk by the British Royal Navy on May 27, 1941, as revenge for the sinking of the HMS Hood. See Borneman. 196–199.

53The Fatherland refers to the officer’s country, Germany. Hitler and patriotic Germans often referred to Germany as the Fatherland. See “Hitler Goes to Prague,” The New York Times, March 16, 1939.

54Iraq, led by Axis ally Rashid Ali, clashed with British forces in May 1941. By May 31 Britain had control of the oil fields, which enabled Prince ’Abd al-Ilah, an Allied ally, to return to power. See Beevor. 178.

55The German Embassy in Paris outlined the demands of the Foreign Office in Berlin to the Foreign Missions in Paris. See telegram (now declassified) from Admiral Leahy, U.S. Ambassador to France, to Secretary of State Cordell Hull, May 28, 1941; NACP.

1From the Office of the Historian for the Department of State:
“On June 10 the Embassy was formally closed. A sign in English, French, and German was placed on the front gate which read “The American Embassy is closed. The Consulate General of the United States in Paris is at 3 rue Boissy d’Anglas.” The shield over the front door was covered by a piece of sheet metal which was painted to resemble the stone of the building. The front gate and front door were closed and locked. No changes were made at the Embassy residence which had been closed for some time. Special authority was obtained from the occupying authorities to permit Forrest Pfeiffer and his wife to remain as caretakers for the residence in addition to the fifteen American employees permitted to remain as staff of the Consulate General.
“A consular seal was placed over the door of the entrance at 3 rue Boissy d’Anglas which became the main entrance and the Boissy d’Anglas entrance to the garage was placed in use.
“The Consulate General opened for business on the morning of June 6, with the newly selected staff of fifteen in order to take care of public business and permit those who were leaving to finish pending work.” See Taylor, Letter from the Vice Consul to the Secretary of State on July 11, 1941, “Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, Europe, Volume II, Document 458.”

3“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night” is a version of the quote “Persian messengers…will not be hindered…either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night” from Herodotus by Herodotus of Halicarnassus, a Greek historian. The quotation tells of the fidelity of the mounted despatch couriers. The words have been adopted by the United States Postal Service, and in 1941 the words were adopted by the new Consulate in Paris for the U.S. Foreign Service. See Herodotus of Halicarnassus, book 8, Urania, paragraph 98.

4Kaiser Wilhelm (1859–1941) was Emperor of Germany and King of Prussia who led Germany into WWI. He reigned from 1888–1918 and fled to Holland before the end of WWI. See Yockelson. 139.

5Andrew Nagorski wrote that Hitler would not believe Germany could not defeat England and Russia in 1941 (303), and Stalin would not believe intelligence messages that Germany was planning to attack Russia in 1941 (118). These beliefs led to poor strategic decisions by both leaders. See Nagorski’s book, 1941: The Year Germany Lost the War. 118, 303.

6Dorothy Thompson (1893–1961) was a U.S. journalist who used her communication skills to speak out against Nazi Germany—some called her the “First Lady of American Journalism.” Her anti-Nazi rhetoric is recounted by Nagorski. See Nagorski. 168.

7M. J. Taylor pointed out in her book Diplomats in Turmoil that all American consular offices in Greater Germany (Germany and all its occupied territories in Europe) closed in July 1941. This action was in response to a note of June 16, 1941, from Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles to Hans Thomsen, German Chargé d’Affaires at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., demanding all German consulates in the U.S. and its territories be closed as of July 10. See FRUS 1941 v02/d588. The German State Secretary, Ernst von Weizsäcker, responded to Leland Morris, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Germany on June 19 and demanded all U.S. consular offices in Greater Germany be closed by July 15. See Taylor, M.J.; FRUS 1941 v02/d590. The U.S. Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, issued instructions that all U.S. consular offices in Greater Germany are to be closed accordingly. See FRUS 1941 v02/d591.

8Letter (now declassified) of July 2, 1942, from Nathaniel P. Davis, Chief of the Division of Foreign Service Administration, to George Dilkes (MLD nephew), stating MLD is under orders to proceed to Lisbon.

9Force majeure is a major or superior force. MLD perceived the invasion of France as one executed by a superior German force and not as an ordained event. See Beevor. 79–98.

10Richard Strauss (1864–1949) was a German pianist, violinist, composer, and conductor, whose music was allowed to be listened to in Nazi Germany and its occupied territories. Hitler enjoyed operas and demanded his staff attend operas. See Speer. 60.

11Wooden shoes became prevalent as materials to make leather shoes were needed for the war effort. See Sebba, “Fashion as Resistance in WWII France.”

12MLD is referring to Philip W. Whitcomb (1891–1986), a foreign correspondent who covered two world wars. Whitcomb was the Associated Press correspondent in Paris the day the German Army marched into Paris. See Glass. 2. After Germany declared war on the United States, Whitcomb was interned in southern Germany with other correspondents before being sent back to the U.S. See Glass. 205.

1Hotel Carlton in Biarritz, built in the twentieth century, is now a luxury apartment building. MLD would travel from Hendaye to Biarritz several times before the German authorities would permit her to cross into Spain. The USS West Point (AP-23) was converted into a troopship by the U.S. Navy in June 1941. In July the ship was to return 137 Italian citizens and 327 German citizens from their respective consulates to their home countries. FDR ordered Captain Frank H. Kelley, Jr. to return to port if American consulate employees were not allowed to cross into Spain. See “West Point II AP-23,” History Central.com.

2“Spies were everywhere” shows Lisbon as a hotbed of intrigue and a city described as “spyland.” See Hatton. 240–241.

3Modern book on the history of Lisbon is written by Barry Hatton, Queen of the Sea: A History of Lisbon. See Hatton.

4The Avenida da Liberdade is a well-known avenue in central Lisbon famous for its restaurants and shopping. Ibid. 202–203.

5Estoril, a town on the Portuguese Riviera, is known for its expensive real estate and its luxury style of living. Ibid. 241.

6During WWII when Lyon, France, was within unoccupied France, members of the U.S. consulate in Lyon helped deliver news of U.S. diplomatic interests to the U.S. Embassy in Vichy. See MacArthur Interview, “An American Diplomat in Vichy France.”

7The German Army victory in the Ukraine was part of Operation Barbarossa, Germany’s invasion into Eastern Europe. See Beevor. 186–206.

8Telegram (now declassified) from Alexander Wilbourne Weddell, U.S. Ambassador to Spain in Madrid, to Secretary of State Cordell Hull in Washington, D.C. stating Marie-Louise Dilkes arrived in Madrid on August 29, 1941.

9“Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles” are the last words in the essay “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), American essayist, philosopher, and poet. See Emerson, “Self-Reliance.”

10The Hôtel Carlton in Lyon is now the Hôtel Carlton Lyon-MGallery by Sofitel. The hotel is known for its historically iconic Roux-Combaluzier elevator. See “Hôtel Carlton Lyon—MGallery,” Historic Hotels Worldwide.

๐Philibert Delorme (1514–1570) was a French architect and writer known for his design of the Palace of Tuileries in Paris. See “Delorme,” Web Gallery of Art.

๐Antoine Coysevox (1640–1720) was a French sculptor known for his work in decorating the Palace of Versailles and its gardens. See “Coysevox,” Chateau de Versailles.

๐Louis-Gabriel Suchet (1770–1826) was a French marshal, the Duke of Albufera, and a commander in both the French Revolution and the Napoléonic wars. See “Suchet,” frenchempire.net.

๐Madame Jeanne François Julie Adélaïde Récamier (1777–1849) was a French socialite who spurned the advances of famous men and whose portrait hangs in the Louvre. See “Madame Récamier,” Louvre.

๐Paul Chenavard (1808–1895) was a French painter known for his work, “Divina Tragedia,” in which he tried to illustrate the history of religion. See “Chenavard,” Musée d’Orsay.

๐Ernest Meissonier (1815–1891) was a French painter known for his paintings of military subjects and sculptures of equestrian subjects. See “Meissonier,” Art Renewal Center.

12The early history of Lyon with its Roman, Burgundian, Arab, German, and Huguenot influences is told in A History of France by André Maurois. Julius Caesar, with the expansion of the Roman Empire into Gaul, built the city of Lyon. John Calvin in the Protestant Reformation established Calvinism in Geneva, which led to the Huguenot movement in Lyon. A traditional bond existed between Geneva and Lyon, which led to the Huguenot influence on the French middle class in Lyon. See Maurois. 10–13; 149.

14Letter (now declassified) from Monnett B. Davis, Chief of the Division of Foreign Service Administration, Washington, D.C., to Mrs. John Harrison, Jr. (MLD sister, Virginia), Meadowbrook, PA, stating Marie-Louise Dilkes arrived in Lyon on September 2, 1941.

15In the Lyon American consulate, Marshall M. Vance was the Consul General; Dale Maher, consul; and Clark Husted, vice-consul. Lee Randall was a consul in Marseille. Alice Soelberg worked in Lyon and expressed interest in consular work in Vichy. See “The Foreign Service Personnel Changes,” Document of State Bulletin, April 12, 1941. 456.

16For “Marie’s” restaurant MLD is most likely referring to Le Poêlon d’Or restaurant. The original owner was Marie-Danielle Rheuter. See “Marie-Danielle Rheuter and the Le Poêlon d’Or,” Les Bouchons Lyonnais.

17The Lyon Fair is an annual event originally held in the city located on land between the Rhône and Parc de la Tête d’Or. In 1985 the trade fair was moved to Chassieu east of Lyon. See “Fair of Lyon,” Wikipedia.

18Verdun was the signature battle in WWI where the French stood ground and held off the German Army for ten months. Their stand forced the German Army to retreat. See Pershing, Vol. 1. 66, 141, 301.

19Lyon is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In its “brief synthesis” the website describes how Lyon, despite growth over 2,000 years, has been able to preserve whole districts by expanding westward, thus saving its cultural heritage. See “Lyon,” UNESCO World Heritage List.

20A good description of the tour of Lyon that MLD took can be found in travel guides for France. Steves and Smith have an in-depth description of the Church of the Notre-Dame de Fourvière (938–940) and the Cathédrale of Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Lyon. See Steves and Smith. 943–944.

21Hitler prematurely announced victory over Russia to the German people on October 3, 1941. See “Hitler Announces Victory over Russia,” The History Place. See also James, The New York Times, October 5, 1941.

22“The Résistance grows.” Today Lyon has a museum dedicated to its role in the Résistance—the Résistance and Deportation History Center. Lyon was the center of French Résistance 1942–1945. See Steves and Smith. 952.

23Representatives from the consulate in Lyon would fly to Vichy every few weeks to keep the U.S. Embassy in Vichy informed as to what was happening outside of Vichy. Douglas MacArthur II said in an interview the Lyon consulate was “keeping contact with local things and they sent one of their people up every couple of weeks to brief us.” Marie-Louise Dilkes represented the Lyon consulate on a trip to Vichy in October 1941. See MacArthur Interview, “An American Diplomat in Vichy France,” adst.org.

24Louis Biddle is the great-grandson of Dr. Benjamin Rush, a founding father of the United States and a signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The Biddle family is a member of Philadelphia society. See Burt. 107.

25Penelope Royall, head librarian for the American Embassy in Paris after the war, secretly supported the French Résistance through documents inserted into diplomatic bags. She moved to Vichy with the relocation of the U.S. Embassy. MLD was to reconnect with her in Lyon. MLD recognized Penelope Royall in her Acknowledgments for the help she gave in writing Paris Notes. See Royall, “Addresses of Retired Foreign Service Personnel,” Foreign Service Journal, September 1962.

27Robert Casadesus (1899–1972) is a French pianist and composer, who is known for his classical interpretations of Mozart, Debussy, Ravel, Bach, and Beethoven. However, Robert Casadesus lived in the U.S. during the war years 1940–1946. MLD most likely attended a concert by Pablo Casals, a renown cellist, who performed in the unoccupied zone 1939–1942. See “Casadesus,” Robert Casadesus His Life.

28The Gazette de Lausanne was a French-language Swiss newspaper printed daily 1816–1991 when it was merged into Journal de Genève, forerunners of Le Temps, currently in publication. See Lib. of Cong., “Gazette de Lausanne et journal suisse.”

29The Tribune de Genève is a French-language Swiss newspaper printed daily from 1879. See Lib. of Cong., “La Tribune de Genève.”

30“Ivan the Terrible” in 1941 was a creative vision of the film director Sergei Eisenstein in which he adapted 1941 images of Hitler’s terror to those of Ivan IV of 1547. In 1946 Eisenstein adapted “Ivan the Terrible” images to Stalin’s terror. See Neuberger, “Sergei Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible as History.”

31MLD is referring to General Maxime Weygand (1867–1965). In his book, Maxine Weygand, the author Singer recorded events leading up to Weygand’s falling out with Darlan and Weygand’s subsequent imprisonment. In October 1941 Weygand was Vichy’s pro-consul in Africa. See Singer (160–172); see “The Vault,” Time, June 16, 1941. 28.

32Jean Louis Xavier François Darlan (1881–1942) was a French admiral who built the French Navy. He joined the Vichy regime to keep the French Navy whole. However, he crossed to the Allied side in the invasion of North Africa in 1942. He was assassinated three months later. See Jackson. 447–448.

33Grenoble, Avignon, Grasse, and Nice are cities in France, south of Lyon, which offered some respite from this dismal period in France’s history.

34German Colonel Hotz was killed in Nantes on October 20, 1941. In retaliation, 50 French hostages were executed October 20–22. These incidents were reported in the Vichy-controlled newspaper Le Matin, October 23, 1941. See “Aidez la justice!” Le Matin, October 23, 1941. Historical perspective is recorded in the exhibition “The 50 Hostages” created by Château des ducs de Bretagne at the Musée Histoire de Nantes. See “The 50 Hostages,” Château des ducs de Bretagne.

35Nazi organizations in Lyon included the German Armistice Commission created on June 22, 1940, to establish supervisory regulations in conformance with the Franco-German Armistice Agreement. See Jackson (292). Germany had a consulate in Lyon with 50 employees represented by Otto Abetz. See Jackson (232); and the German Red Cross, which was subject to enquiries by the International Committee of the Red Cross, especially regarding the well-being of Jews in the concentration camps. See Bugnion. 173.

36The French Military Mission is a French military unit loyal to the Vichy government in conformance with the Franco-German Armistice of June 1940. The unit was expected to fight alongside German soldiers. See Jackson. 183–184.

37The Ruhr district in Germany is the urban area around Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Bonn and known for its heavy industry. Speer documents the importance of the hydroelectric plants in the Ruhr district to the armaments industry and the effect of British bombing raids on the dams. See Speer. 280–281, 414.

39Maître Marcel de Gallaix was a Parisian lawyer who represented the interests of the winegrowers during the Occupation and was a patron of the arts. More stories of Marcel de Gallaix and his family can be found in Wine & War by Don & Petie Kladstrup (106) and Americans in Paris by Charles Glass (94).

40MLD’s American friend is Gertrude de Gallaix, who was active in FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas). FAWCO addressed issues of children of marriages of an American to a foreign spouse and the education thereof. FAWCO became recognized as an NGO by the United Nations. See Kladstrup. 106–112+.

41The battle of Rostov in 1941 took place around the city of Rostov-on-Don in Russia. The Soviet 37th Army drove out the German 1st Tank Division resulting in a Russian victory. Germany recaptured Rostov in 1942; Soviet Russia recaptured it in 1943. See Beevor. 238.

42Marie Stuart refers to Mary, Queen of Scotland (1542–1587), and the story of her relationship with Elizabeth, her first cousin once removed. The movie had an alternate title, Das Herz der Königin (The Heart of a Queen). According to Trivia, the film was ordered by Goebbels as part of his anti-British propaganda campaign. See Marie Stuart, Dir. Carl Froelich.

43Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941: Japan attacked the United States and declared war on the United States an hour after the attack. See Beevor (249) and Goodwin (283). The United States declared war on Japan on December 8, 1941. See Goodwin. 295.

44On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, which prompted the United States to declare war on Germany and Italy on the same day. See Beevor. 257; Goodwin. 298.

45The attack on Pearl Harbor had global rippling effects on America’s foreign policy, especially on its relationship with Vichy. See Neiberg, When France Fell, 135+.

46Japan captured and occupied the island of Guam, December 12, 1941–July 21, 1944. See Goodwin. 295, 303, 531; Beevor. 253, 564–565.

47“When we think of the insane ambition…” are words from Winston Churchill’s BBC broadcast on the war with Japan. He spoke these words on December 8, 1941, the day after Japan’s attack on the United States. See Churchill, Address: “Broadcast on War with Japan.”

48Operation Crusader was a North African campaign in November–December 1941 with the British Eighth Army against German General Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps. The British successfully fended off the siege on Tobruk forcing Rommel back to Gazala. See Beevor. 224–228.

49German General Erwin Rommel (1891–1944) was a highly respected military commander known for his Afrika Korps. See Churchill, The Hinge of Fate (67). He was implicated in the attempted assassination of Hitler. See Beevor (603). He committed suicide shortly thereafter. See “Nazis Reveal Rommel’s Death,” The New York Times, October 16, 1944.

50Russell H. Porter’s experience of leaving Paris and his dramatic exit for unoccupied France is also told in The Other Americans in Paris by Nancy L. Green. 244–247.

52Telegram (now declassified) from Admiral William D. Leahy, U.S. Ambassador to France, Vichy, France, stating Marie-Louise Dilkes is assigned to Bern with the approval of (Marshall M.) Vance, Consul General in Lyon, December 22, 1941; File 123 Dilkes, Marie-Louise/31; File 124.513/1676; NACP.

55Clark Husted (1915–1944) was vice consul at Lyon before being transferred to Bern on December 12, 1941. At twenty-nine years of age, he died of pneumonia and is buried in France. See “Husted, Clark,” Find a Grave.

56“Nature, whose sweet rains fall…” are words from Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis. See Wilde. 150–151.

1The U.S. Legation presented its papers to the Political Federal Department of Switzerland in Bern on December 29, 1941. Swiss Federal Archives, E2001D#1000/1553#1131*, B.22.21, Unterlagen 0000003, “Dilkes, Marie-Louise, Stenotypistin,” 1942–1945.

2Letter (now declassified) from Harry A. Havens, Assistant Chief of the Division of Foreign Service Administration, Washington, D.C., to Augustus M. Dilkes (MLD brother), La Mesa, California, stated Marie-Louise Dilkes is now at her post at Bern, Switzerland. Sent December 31, 1941.

3Switzerland was officially neutral in WWII, but its citizens retreated to the Swiss National Redoubt in the high Alps as a defensive measure. See The Heels of the Conqueror. 8; Singer. 125.

4These newspapers were French-language Swiss newspapers no longer in publication unless merged:

๐Gazette de Lausanne 1816–1991, when it merged with Journal de Genève. See Lib. of Cong., Newspaper: Gazette de Lausanne.

๐Tribune de Lausanne 1893–1984. See Lib. Of Cong., Newspaper: Tribune de Lausanne.

๐Journal de Genève 1826–1991. See Lib. Of Cong., Newspaper: Journal de Genève.

๐La Tribune de Genève, published since 1879, still in publication today. See Lib. Of Cong., Newspaper: La Tribune de Genève.

5La Suisse magazine is part of an exhibit of the Valais-Martigny Media Library featuring the photoreporting of Max Kettel from 1926–1960 in La Suisse. Research is unable to confirm an anti-Anglo-Saxon bias.

6Le Courrier is a French-language Swiss newspaper published in Geneva since 1868. From 1868 to 1995 it was supported by the Roman Catholic Church; however, it has been independent since then. It is still in publication. See Le Courrier, Wikipedia.

7Die Nation was a German-language Swiss newspaper published from 1933–1952. A reference was found in the archives of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. “RG-46.08.34, From Swiss newspaper Die Nation, Theresienstadt, a propaganda trick, May 1945, translation | Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.” The description of Theresienstadt, a transit concentration camp for Czech Jews, illustrates the pro-Allies bias. See “RG-46.08.34, From Swiss newspaper Die Nation,” Holocaust Museum LA.

8Das Vaterland is a German-language Catholic newspaper founded in Austria around 1868 by Leopold Graf von Thun und Hohenstein. Das Vaterland saw different forms of totalitarianism, whether Communism or Nazism, as equal threats to a social democracy. See Imhof, et al., “Swiss Refugee and Foreign Economic Policies seen within the context of Press Publications on Politics 1938–1950.”

9Neue Zürcher Zeitung is a German-language Swiss newspaper published since 1780. Although the newspaper tried to remain neutral, it told its readers that the Nazi government in Germany showed the Swiss needed to be aware of “the need for ‘the spiritual defense of our country [Switzerland].’” See Halbrook, “Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality in World War II.” Also see Imhof, et al., “Swiss Refugee and Foreign Economic Policies seen within the context of Press Publications on Politics 1938–1950.”

11Singapore was captured by Japan on February 15, 1942, which was the largest British surrender ever. Churchill speaks of the fall of Singapore in a BBC address. See Churchill, Address: “The Text of Premier Churchill’s Broadcast on Singapore,” The New York Times, February 16, 1942.

12Leland Harrison (1883–1951) led the American consulate in Bern from 1937–1947. In his obituary The New York Times included the words of Secretary of State Dean Acheson who said, “All those who have intimately known Mr. Harrison, and especially those who have had the good fortune to serve with him in the Foreign Service, will always remember him for his outstanding ability in the performance of his duties.” See “Leland Harrison Ex-Diplomat, Dies,” The New York Times, June 8, 1951.

13In the Battle of the Atlantic, January 28, 1942, U.S. Navy pilot Donald Francis Mason sighted a U-boat and dropped depth charges. The U-boat disappeared, which led Mason to send the triumphant signal “Sighted sub sank same.” “Navy Flier Cited for Sinking ‘Sub,’” The New York Times, February 27, 1942.

14Il Giornale d’Italia is an Italian newspaper published 1901–1976. In 1942 and 1943 the newspaper published articles indicating that the Italians were ready to “fight until victory” with an “undiminished will to win.” Articles are in the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust collections. See “RG-79.04.04” and “RG-79.04.05,” Il Giornale d’Italia, The Italian Journal.

15Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the Bern canton, an administrative region in the country of Switzerland. See “Overview of the Bernese Oberland,” Earth Trekkers.

16Pierre Laval was asked to resign from the Pétain government and was arrested on December 13, 1940; Pétain asked him to come back in April 1942 as prime minister. See Glass. 159–164; 224–227.

17Neuchâtel L’Express is the oldest Swiss French-language daily newspaper (1738–) still in publication. The historical archives have been digitized for access by the general public. Ref. 1942-08-04 to 1942-08-06. See “The Archives of the Neuchâteloise Press from 1738 to the Present Day,” Neuchâtel l’Express.

18Lugano, Switzerland, is a resort in Italian-speaking southern Switzerland, which shares a border with Italy. It is known for its Lake Lugano. See Pozzoli and Luchessa, “Lugano: 1939–1945.”

19Locarno, Switzerland, is an Italian-speaking city in southern Switzerland on Lake [Lago] Maggiore. Locarno was the scene of international treaties. The 1925 Pact of Locarno generated the “Spirit of Locarno” that reinforced peace after WWI until Hitler reoccupied the Rhineland and disavowed the Pact of Locarno. See Le Livre Jaune Français. 420.

20Neiberg gives a detailed account of the deterioration in America’s relationship with Vichy. When France Fell, 162+.

21As a result of Operation Torch, Algiers surrendered to the Allies in November 1942. Events leading up to Operation Torch are well-documented in Singer’s book Maxime Weygand. 158–172. The military maneuvers are detailed in Churchill’s book The Hinge of Fate (614–626). The political fallout is told in Glass’s book Americans in Paris. 271–273.

22Vichy France severed diplomatic relations with the U.S. on November 8, 1942. The White House issued the statement by the President, “Nevertheless, no act of Hitler, or of any of his puppets, can sever relations between the American people and the people of France. We have not broken relations with the French. We never will.” See “Press Release Issued by the White House on November 9, 1942.” Office of the Historian.

24The French fleet of 77 ships at Toulon was scuttled on November 27, 1942, by the French Navy to avoid the ships getting into German hands. Weygand addressed options for the French fleet off of Toulon before the decision was made for the French to scuttle their own fleet. See Singer. 171.

25Admiral François Darlan was a French naval officer who initially sided with the Vichy Government. Two years later he switched to a pro-Ally position, which led to thoughts of conspiracies and jealousies with Generals Giraud and de Gaulle. Darlan was assassinated in Algiers December 24, 1942. Beevor. 113+.

26Maquis is the underground and a part of the French Résistance movement outside of urban areas. Julian Jackson in his book France: The Dark Years covers the Maquis in detail. 482–580.

27The Los Angeles Times newspaper (1881–) has the largest circulation on the U.S. West Coast.

28The British raids on Berlin in January 1943 are documented on the website Chronology of Aviation History—1940 to 1949. See “Chronology of Aviation History—1940 to 1949,” Skytamer Images.

29The tenth anniversary of Nazi rule was celebrated in Berlin on January 30, 1943. An article in The New York Times emphasized “the absence of any mention of either Britain or the United States, and the exclusive concentration on Russia.” See “Fear-Haunted Anniversary,” The New York Times, February 1, 1943.

30German General Friedrich von Paulus (1890–1957) surrendered to Russia at Stalingrad January 31, 1943. Stalingrad, now called Volvograd, was the site of the Battle of Stalingrad, a major German loss in WWII. The Battle of Stalingrad is well-documented in Beevor’s book The Second World War. 337+.

31General Barnwell Rhett Legge (1891–1949) was with the U.S. Legation in Bern, Switzerland, as the U.S. military attaché. He arranged the escape of interned U.S. flyers and established an elaborate communications network to keep Washington informed as to the progress of the war. His escapades are recorded in the ADST Journal interview with Constance Ray Harvey. See Colvin and Morin, “Interview with Constance Ray Harvey,” July 11, 1988.

32In February 1943 the Allies were victorious in the battle of Guadalcanal, a nation in the Solomon Islands. See Borneman, The Admirals. 310–313.

33In November 1943 the Allies were victorious in the battle for Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands where the U.S. suffered many casualties (Holloway, Pacific War Marine. 67–90).

34In July 1943 the Allies successfully launched Operation Husky to liberate Sicily. This military operation is well-documented in the movie Patton. Mussolini was deposed and a new Italian government under Pietro Badoglio immediately sought peace terms with the Allies. President Roosevelt’s reaction is recorded in Goodwin’s book No Ordinary Time. See Goodwin. 449, 460, 468.

35Reggio Calabria is in southern Italy across the Strait of Messina from Sicily. It was the site of the British Eighth Army invasion of the Italian peninsula in September 1943. See Beevor. 501.

36In September 1943 Nazis evacuated Sardinia, the second largest Italian island in the Mediterranean, and retreated to the French island of Corsica. See Axis History Forum, “Seeking info about Corsica’s and Sardinia’s position in WWII,” alias Lupo Solitario.

38General Mark Clark and his U.S. 5th Army along with Lucien Truscott’s VI Corps took Rome on June 4, 1944, which was two days before D-Day. Egos clashed as General Clark desired recognition for his capture of Rome but was overshadowed by the scope of the D-Day invasion. See Beevor. 569–573.

39The D-Day landings on the Normandy beaches were a combination of the largest air and amphibious operations ever attempted.

40Caen, France, in the northern Normandy region commemorates WWII in its Mémorial de Caen with a focus on the D-Day invasion, the Cold War, and the pursuit for peace. Caen was liberated on August 6, 1944. See Beevor. 580–601.

41German General Dietrich von Choltitz (1894–1966), who surrendered Paris to French General Leclerc, is credited for saving Paris by disobeying Hitler’s order to destroy Paris. See Kladstrup. 177–179.

42General Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hautecloque (1902–1947) received the surrender of Paris at Gare Montparnasse on August 25, 1944. See Jackson. 565.

43After Germany surrendered Paris to Free French forces, French General Marie-Pierre Kœnig (1898–1970), appointed by General Charles de Gaulle as military governor of Paris, arrived on August 26, 1944, to restore law and order. See Audiat. 328.

44“Aux armes, citoyens…” are lyrics to the chorus of “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem. The joy for the liberation of Paris is described by Audiat. See Audiat. 327.

45Telegram (now declassified) sent from Cordell Hull, Secretary of State, on September 8, 1944, to the U.S. Legation in Bern, Switzerland, stated contemplation to transfer six members, including Marie-Louise Dilkes, to Paris “as soon as communications are open.”

46Telegram (now declassified) from Selden Chapin, Chargé d’Affaires in the American Embassy in Paris in the absence of an ambassador, expressed concern for lack of urgency in securing experienced personnel urgently needed to help reestablish the American Embassy in Paris. “We are unable to cash drafts or personal checks and consequently cannot pay bills coming due the end of this month or make salary payments…Overland travel to Bern is now feasible and I suggest that the Misses Dilkes, Perret, and Royall be ordered here at once from Bern. I will make necessary arrangements for their clearance and transportation from the Swiss border.” The telegram was sent to [Cordell Hull] Secretary of State, Washington, D.C., September 27, 1944. See Chapin, Selden.

47Telegram (now declassified) from Leland Harrison, U.S. Minister in Bern, Switzerland, to Secretary of State, Washington, D.C., indicated he should be glad to release Misses Dilkes and Perret for return to Paris upon receipt of their orders with transport to the Swiss border, September 22, 1944. See Harrison, Leland.

48Telegram (now declassified) sent on September 20, 1944, from Cordell Hull, Secretary of State, to the American Legation in Bern, Switzerland, formally assigned five members of the Legation to Paris. He requested Marie-Louise Dilkes and Lydia Perret “be released as soon as travel instructions are received as they are most urgently needed particularly owing to a large number of Americans from concentration camps requiring urgent services.”

49In a telegram (now declassified) Leland Harrison, U.S. Minister in Bern, Switzerland, asked the State Department to “please request War Department to instruct Army Headquarters Paris and Seventh Army Headquarters to facilitate…transportation to Paris of American Foreign Service personnel [Dilkes and Perret] traveling under official orders…I am greatly appreciative of aid already received from General Patch.” September 24, 1944. See Harrison, Leland.

51The Seventh Army under the command of General Alexander McCarrell Patch (1889–1945) was under orders to move northward through the Rhône Valley, liberating much of France and routing German forces. See Turner and Jackson, chapters IV–XII, and Bonn, “Most Underrated General of World War II: Alexander Patch.”

52Some Paris members of the American Legation in Bern, Switzerland, including Marie-Louise Dilkes left Bern on October 10, 1944. Swiss Federal Archives, E2001D#1000/1553#1131*, B.22.21, Unterlagen 0000002, “Dilkes, Marie-Louise, Stenotypistin,” 1942–1945.

53A telegram (now declassified) from Leland Harrison, Bern, Switzerland, to the Secretary of State, Washington, D.C., announced that “Dilkes, etc. left this morning for Paris accompanying Communications Officer Clark.” See Harrison, Leland, October 10, 1944.

54A telegram (now declassified) from Cordell Hull to the U.S. Legation in Bern, Switzerland, announced the clerks, including Marie-Louise Dilkes, who are “transferred to Paris for duty with Office of the Representative of the United States to the French Committee of National Liberation…These transfers not made at their request nor convenience.” See Hull, Cordell, October 2, 1944.

55While members of the U.S. Legation in Bern arrived in Paris to reopen the American Embassy facility on October 11, the ceremonial reopening occurred on October 14, 1944. This reopening was restricted to diplomatic purposes only. See “Reopening of the American Embassy, Paris,” The American Foreign Service Journal, December 1944. 655.

56The Seventh Army provided the vehicles for the U.S. Legation in Bern, Switzerland, to go back to Paris to reopen the American Embassy in Paris. The presence of the Seventh Army in the Rhône Valley lent itself to help the American Legation address the urgent request to reopen the American Embassy.

57In a telegram (now declassified) from John Gilbert Winant, U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James, Winant wrote to the Secretary of State that he had made “careful inspection of the Paris Embassy property, both the chancery and the residence. With the exception of a few bullets which scratched the façade and the plaster of some inner walls and broken window panes, the premises are in excellent condition…The excellent condition of the Embassy is due to the continued devotion and care taken by the guardian, M. Bizet, and by Mme. Blanchard who remained faithfully at their posts throughout the entire period.” See Winant, John G., September 7, 1944.

58Kenneth C. Krentz, Assistant Chief of the Division of Foreign Service Administration, Washington, D.C., wrote a letter to Augustus M. Dilkes (MLD brother) stating Marie-Louise Dilkes, who recently transferred from Bern, arrived at the American Mission at Paris on October 11, 1944. See Krentz, Kenneth, October 16, 1944.

59“Romantic love, to…dreams of glory…” are excerpts from Thomas Wolfe’s book You Can’t Go Home Again, Book VII, “A Wind is Rising and the Rivers Flow” (1940). See Wolfe. 706.