LETTERS of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE (FRANCE). A collection of M...

Estimate

£200 - £300

LETTERS of HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE (FRANCE). A collection of MS letters some of which have been transcribed and typed. They are sent from prison (in Lutte, France) by the three very senior officers involved in the ALGIERS PUTSCH or COUP (1961), to a female correspondent. The prisoners are Andre ZELLER, Maurice CHALLE and Helle de SAINT MARC. The conspirators might explain their motivations, which were, in short, to avoid the chaos of the previous colonial withdrawal from French Indo-China and to protect the lives of the indigenous population/armed forces who had supported the French. They also seem quite philosophical about 'the human condition' and think deeply about politics. Many references to books which have been read and re-read. The three were released in the late 60s from their imprisonment and pardoned by de GAULLE. The letters are all signed. For the scholar of French history, a fascinating, possibly unique group.