France Forever (french: France Quand Même) was an organization founded on June 29, 1940 as an association of French men and women living in the United States, as well as American friends of France, acting to preserve comradeship between these countries in the cause of freedom and democracy.
The organisation was created to support Général de Gaulle fight the
Nazi occupation
German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 ...
, and
Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its te ...
. It aimed to represent de Gaulle in the United States and to acquire embassy status. It also declared to: "Assist the United States in all measures of preparedness to meet the menace to democratic institutions." In 1941, the France Forever association had forty-six sections.
Its headquarters was located on Fifth Avenue in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
,
NYC
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Founders & action
Founders: /ref>A Nation-Wide Organization, ''Maison Francaise'' (PDF)
*Major General William G. Price Jr. - commandeur de la
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
* Oswald Chew - Officier de la Légion d'honneur
*Emile C. Geyelin - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
*
Roger E. Brunschwig Roger Etienne Brunschwig (July 14, 1891 — Dec 7, 1972) Commander of the Legion of Honor, was a much‐decorated French hero of the two world wars. /ref> - Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur. A much‐decorated French hero of the two world wars.Col. Roger E. Brunschwig Dies; French Hero in 2 Wars Was 81 ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', Dec 10, 1972.
* Eugene J. Houdry - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. Vocal in opposing the government of Vichy France under Marshall Philippe Pétain and its collaboration with Germany and vocally and publicly criticized Petain, stating that he did not speak for the French people.
Houdry was its first President.
* Fred G. Hoffherr - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, becoming its publicity director and later its executive vice-president.
*Emile G. Henno - Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur
*Henri L. Laussucq
*Pierre Quilleret - industrialist, Eugene Houdry's brother-in-law
* Jacques de Sieyes - Officer de la Légion d'honneur
*Docteur
Albert Simard
Albert Charles Joseph Simard ''Albert C. J. Simard(ca. 1891 — May 2, 1973New York State Journal of Medicine. (1973). United States: Medical Society of the State of New York. p. 2918
*Maurice Garreau-Dombasle, was the Chairman Executive Committee. From the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
in September 1940:
Declaring that he would "never accept any task under German control," Maurice Garreau-Dombasle, for thirteen years commercial counselor of the French Embassy in the United States, declined yesterday to obey the order of the Petain government to return to France.
The organisation became affiliated with the
French Committee of National Liberation
The French Committee of National Liberation (french: Comité français de Libération nationale) was a provisional government of Free France formed by the French generals Henri Giraud and Charles de Gaulle to provide united leadership, organi ...
and published a monthly bulletin promoting its ideas, fighting against Nazi propaganda and having the voice of France to be heard in the United States as well as encouraging those in France to resist and play their part in bringing about ultimate victory.
Michel Wibault
Michel Henri Marie Joseph Wibault (born 5 June 1897, died 23 January 1963) was a French aircraft designer. He was a strong advocate of metal construction, and his airliners were important in the development of French commercial aviation in the 1 ...
, De Gaulle appointed him as technical director of France Forever. On 17 June 1940 Wibault escaped with his wife Marie-Rose from Paris to London.
From there Michel and Marie-Rose travelled to England, where they made contact with General de Gaulle. Michel Wibault joined France Forever, within which he was appointed technical director by de Gaulle.
Wibault was one of its "most active men."
Fred G. Hoffherr cabledHoffherr, Fred G. Columbia Profs Support de Gaulle and "France Quand Meme" March 7, 1941, ''Columbia Alumni News''. de Gaulle, "Command, we shall obey . ... Vive la France!"
Next day, Eugene Houdry cabled him (referring to the French people): "They are entirely at your orders."
Following Charles de Gaulle's appeal on 18 June 1940, on 29 June, Dr Albert Simard, who was president of the French Veterans of the Great War, and also of the Associated French Societies of New York, had called a public meeting to launch a support movement.Nettlebeck, Colin. Forever French: Exile in the United States, 1939-1945. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic, 1991. 6
Simard stated:
We are convinced that France and all enslaved European democracies can be freed only by British victory and that a German victory over Britain will be the signal for an attack on all of the Americas.
In 1943, Richard de Rochemont became the president of France Forever and continued his action until after the Liberation, giving way to Dr. Simard serving as president, Chairman of the executive committee,Year Book. United States: France Forever, Inc., 1946 p. 137 of sessions. (After being vice president.). Simard would later become involved with the Society for the Prevention of World War III,Murray, James Edward. Importance of United Public Opinion on Public Issues: Remarks of Hon. James E. Murray, of Montana, in the Senate of the United States, Wednesday, May 16, 1951 .... United States: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951 4 serving as its Secretary.Hearings. United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. 1958 p. 197