Jacques Bouly de Lesdain (1880-1975) was a French aristocrat, lawyer and diplomat. He was the author of several travel books about Asia and political books about Germany. He was the political editor of ''

L'Illustration ''L'Illustration'' was a weekly French language, French newspaper published in Paris from 1843 to 1944. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in France then, a ...

'' and he organised anti-

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

conferences during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life

Jacques Bouly de Lesdain was born on 4 October 1880. He graduated from

Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , a ...

and received a bachelor's degree in Laws. He was a

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Career

Bouly de Lesdain was a lawyer and diplomat. He was the author of books about

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

, based on his travelling experiences. For example, he had led an expedition in the

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (Chinese: 戈壁 (沙漠), Mongolian: Говь (ᠭᠣᠪᠢ)) () is a large desert or brushland region in East Asia, and is the sixth largest desert in the world. Geography The Gobi measures from southwest to northeast an ...

in 1902. He also published several books about Germany, including ''La Seconde paix'', a 1931 treatise in which he called for closer Franco-German relations under the pseudonym of "Esdalin". By the 1930s, he joined the Dunkirk chapter of the Action Française. Bouly de Lesdain joined ''

'' as a contributor based in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, Switzerland, in 1939. During

, he supported Germany and met

Otto Abetz Heinrich Otto Abetz (26 March 1903 – 5 May 1958) was the German ambassador to Vichy France during the Second World War and a convicted war criminal. In July 1949 he was sentenced to twenty years' hard labour by a Paris military tribunal, he was ...

several times. He complained that his antisemitic articles were turned down for publication by ''L'Illustration''. However, he subsequently became its political editor. Bouly de Lesdain co-organised an anti-

conference with Jean Rivière in October 1940 at the Petit Palais. It was attended by more than a million visitors, and later shown in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

and Nancy until the summer of 1942, when it was shown in Berlin, Germany. Meanwhile, Bouly de Lesdain organised another conference, Exposition de la France européenne, held at the

Grand Palais The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...

from 31 May to 31 October 1941. By then, he openly criticised Marshal Philippe Pétain for failing to take a hard line on racial policy, and he was engaged in "active collaborationism". In August 1944, he fled to the

Sigmaringen Castle Sigmaringen Castle (German: ''Schloss Sigmaringen'') was the princely castle and seat of government for the Princes of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen. Situated in the Swabian ''Alb'' region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, this castle dominates the s ...

with members of the Vichy government, and he was the director of their radio communications.

Personal life and death

Bouly de Lesdain married Martha Mailey, an American explorer he met in the Gobi Desert in 1902; they divorced in 1926. He died in 1975.

Works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouly de Lesdain, Jacques 1880 births 1975 deaths People from Dunkirk Sciences Po alumni 20th-century French lawyers French explorers 20th-century French diplomats 20th-century French journalists French radio journalists People of Vichy France French collaborators with Nazi Germany Anti-Masonry