Maurice Vaïsse
Writing a book about a historic figure, or a period in history, is somewhat like painting a portrait or a landscape. No two people will produce a work that looks exactly the same; we all project a little bit of ourselves into the work. The appeal of The Paris Game stems from the fact that its author reveals he is a lover of Paris and an admirer of Charles de Gaulle, and one can read these sentiments in every line. Every biographer of “the Man of the 18th of June” has chosen to emphasize a particular aspect of his character, and this is also the case for Ray Argyle.
I would first like to say why it was a pleasure to read him. He is an author who innovates and surprises, often resorting to lesser-known Canadian and American sources, alongside the better-known French documentation, such as Charles de Gaulle’s own Mémoires de guerre. The detailed “Notes and Sources” that Argyle has included are particularly useful, revealing his knowledge of the culture and the life of France.
Although the book is well-documented, it pleases me especially because to read it is to enjoy a refreshing change from academic histories. It is not cluttered with abstract references and considerations. Instead, it is distinguished by its practical approach and the liveliness of its depiction of the personalities. The author likes to portray people and things in their environment and in their everyday life; they are not mere abstract figures or intellectual entities. De Gaulle has a family, wife, children, and Argyle excels in giving them their proper place in the family environment.
The book places great importance on a variety of interesting figures, each of whom had a role in the liberation and recovery of France. They include such personalities as Jean Moulin, Elisabeth de Miribel, Philippe Leclerc, and de Gaulle’s son, Philippe, along with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Less attention is paid to ministers, administrators, diplomats, and military figures — those that may be referred to as de Gaulle’s entourage. Because we forget too often, it is worth remembering, as does the author, that de Gaulle did not transform France alone. He was aided by members of a supportive circle that extended from London to Algiers, and from de Gaulle’s home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises to the presidential suite at the Élysée Palace.
But men and women are not the only ones to play a role in this book. There is also the immortal Paris, which holds a place of prime importance. Paris is not merely the setting for the events described so well by the author, but a real actor in the story and the main stage on which General de Gaulle performed. As a lover and a connoisseur of the capital’s different neighbourhoods, the author describes the principal scenes in which Charles de Gaulle acted out his career. This is a book full of interesting portraits and little-known facts that hook the reader with a sense of action and life.
To paraphrase Pirandello, who wrote, “To each his own truth,” I could say, “To each his own de Gaulle.” Argyle has made his choice: he has chosen to put “the Man of the 18th of June” on the stage — the man who rallied the French to fight on. For my part, I would have appreciated it if Argyle had described the following years of de Gaulle’s career with the same precision he has applied to that era. But there you have it; it is his choice, which he illustrates by focusing on the period of the Second World War and the French Resistance (1939–1945), rather than on the presidency of General de Gaulle (1958–1969). In this sense, Argyle is in agreement with a majority of the French, for whom Charles de Gaulle remains the Man of the 18th of June and the man of legend.
Readers of The Paris Game will not find lengthy arguments on issues that continue to divide analysts: Was de Gaulle a republican or was he a Bonapartist — a man for the people or a would-be emperor? Was he a doctrinarian or was he a pragmatist? And if he was a doctrinarian, what was his doctrine? Was he a man attached to the nation-state, and as such, unable to understand the postwar world? Or was he a true European? Was he anti-American in the 1960s in reaction to his wartime experiences? Or was he merely enamoured of national independence and conscious of France’s need to remain close to the United States? Was de Gaulle determined to preserve France’s domination of its colonies and was his approach to decolonization thus a sham? Or did de Gaulle understand the new path that was opening up for France: the path to progress through co-operation? And what did the Gaullian call for the greatness of France really signify?
In his conclusion, Argyle briefly evokes some of these aspects. He insists precisely on the construction of the de Gaulle legend — the fruit of both dramatic events and of the general’s own actions. He also sweeps aside the idea that Charles de Gaulle would have been something other than a democrat, or that he was merely a vain and prideful man in search of glory. Argyle has a sympathetic view of the man of whom he paints a rather favourable portrait. An exception comes in his discussion of the general’s trip to Quebec in 1967. There is an implicit condemnation by the author of de Gaulle’s verbal gaffe in his summoning, from the balcony of the Montreal City Hall, the image of an independent Quebec through his use of the expression, “Vive le Québec libre.”
The title of this book, The Paris Game, at first surprised me. Argyle explains his choice by his reference to the “Great Game” played out on the borders of India and Afghanistan by the Russians and the British in the nineteenth century. This is a logical comparison, but one should not lose sight of the fact that in this very personal and lively book, there are two heroes: Charles de Gaulle and Paris.
Maurice Vaïsse
Sciences Po, University of Paris
Maurice Vaïsse is professor emeritus at the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), University of Paris, where he has specialized in the history of international relations. He is the author of fourteen books, including La Grandeur: Politique étrangère du général de Gaulle (1958–1969). Professor Vaïsse has been a counsellor to the Charles de Gaulle Foundation and is the recipient of many honours. He is an Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite and a Knight of the Légion d’honneur.