Extraordinary collection of rare ephemera, publications, photographs, and artifacts from the United States and Europe, including a large collection of clandestine, underground newspapers. Includes:
(1) Belgium
- Paul Reynaud, Le Ministre, Ministere Des Finances, mimeographed letter, circa 1940. From November 1938 to March 1940 Reynaud was minister of finance, in which post he sponsored austerity measures to put the French economy on a war footing.
- Sursum Corda! -- Brussels, Belgium. French language. Clandestine newspaper/sheet of national opposition to Germanic domination appearing at regularly irregular intervals. 17 issues, each approximately 4 pages, from October 7, 1940, to August 1942. In August 1942, the arrest of several collaborators and the seizure of the material put an end to the publication. Notable issues include a November 11, 1940, special edition with a publication of the October 21, 1940 famous speech of PM Winston Churchill to the People of France, which was delivered by Mr. Churchill in French from the Cabinet War Rooms.
- La Libre Belgique (Brussels, four issues 1941-1944 - exceptional July 10, 1941 issue concerning German arrest of the Mayor of Brussels, with reprinting of Mayor’s famous proclamation in French and Dutch , by which he addressed the population -- "Contrary to what has been said, I have neither abandoned my post nor submitted my resignation. I am, I remain and I will remain the legitimate burgomaster of Brussels."
- De Patriot, Feb. 1944 (Belgium)
- Belgique D'Abord (Belgium First) July 1941 (mimeographed, in French). Observing July 21, 1941, the 110 anniversary of inauguration of King Leopold I.
- Proclamation Du Bourgmestre De Bruxelles. Monsieur Van De Meulebroeck, 30 Juin 1941 (in French) (mimeographed). It was this gesture of defiance which led to the Mayor’s arrest and imprisonment by the Nazis. English translation: "My dear Fellow Citizens, The German Authorities have just informed me that I must relinquish my office. I have no option but to conform to this order, although legally it is a violation of The Hague Convention and, in fact, nothing justifies such a decision against me. I feel that I have loyally and usefully accomplished the multiple duties, often so hard, which befall to the chiefs of towns and communities occupied by the enemy. I have been given the offer to remain in office, but under circumstances such that they would have implied my participation in the execution of the Decrees of April 16 and May 26, 1941. Had I accepted, it meant giving up my honor and my duty; it meant disobedience to the fundamental laws of our country, the laws to which I have sworn fidelity; I refused. Contrary to what is being said, I have not left my post and I have not resigned. l am, I remain, I will remain the only legitimate burgomaster of Brussels. I am not bidding you adieu, but au revoir. In taking leave from you temporarily, I ask you to bear your material and moral hardships with calm, courage and confidence. You will face fate with a strong soul and a proud heart. Those who really belong to our race fear nothing nor anybody m this world. They have but one fear: to fail to their duty and to their honor. Remain united: union will be our strength and will assure us a happier future. God will protect Belgium and her King.
- Le Monde Du Travail, Liege. Notable issues include: May 1942 front page report of the death of Georges Truffaut (Belgian politician and member of the resistance); August 1942 report of the assassination of René Delbrouck in (Belgian politician and co-founder of Le Monde Du Travail), along with a full page report of the contributors to the Truffaut/Delbrouck fund); July 1943 - Belgians to send a postcard to King Leopold III at Laeken, Belgium - where he was being held The newly independent Belgians inaugurated Leopold I as their first king on 21 July 1831. The underground sheet calls upon all under house arrest -- affirming their absolute devotion and our faith in the destinies of a united and strong Belgium -- neither Flemish nor Walloon we want to remain Belgians, only Belgians. Mussolini abandons power for reasons of health, the end of a tyrant, fascism is dying; September 1943 (special edition) - La Capitulation de l’Italie. KAPOUT (Done).
- Radio-Moscou, 9 issues, in French, 1942-43. War news from a USSR perspective, with reports and orders from Stalin. Notable issues, November 1943 - Order of the Day No. 309, Stalin, 7 November 1943 (“We are celebrating the 26th anniversary of the great October Socialist Revolution at a time of glorious victories of the Red Army over the enemies of our country”); December 7, 1942 - Report of W. Averill Harriman’s speech in New York discussing Churchill’s visit to Moscow to meet with Stalin in August of 1942, Harriman attended; detailed reports about the battle of Stalingrad in November 1942; December 3, 1942 - Associated Press interview with Stalin, who provides a written reply, concerning operations in North Africa; report of Winston Churchill speech on November 10, 1942 concerning the military situation, and praising the Russians - “Les Russes on rendu a la cause des allies un service inestimable” (The Russians have rendered the cause of the allies an invaluable service); report about Soviet Commission of Inquiry into Nazi Crimes; October 12, 1942 - Voyage of Wendell Willkie, and text of statement by Willkie in Moscow on September 27, 1942, communique of the soviet information office October 1, 1942 regarding Stalingrad.
- Le Partisan, Liege, June 1942, single page (two sides), mimeographed reports.
- Churchill Gazette, Seraing, Belgium (An industrial town in Belgium, on the Meuse River, southwest of Liège). French language. One of the grand clandestine publications of Belgium, which appeared bimonthly. 7 issues, with two supplements. 1942-44. Each issue, typically 10- 12 pages, features caricatures and/or illustrations, including the June 1943 issue with a cover illustration of portraits of Les Grands Hommes D’Etat (Great Statesmen): FDR, Churchill, Stalin (contrasted with Mussolini, Hitler, and Laval). November 1942 issue with two full page illustrations, including (1) Hitler locking hands with the grim reaper, with coat of arms of mines, bombs, and sunk vessel, with statement, in English: “I know no law,” and (2) grizzly bear mauling Hitler. Excellent 20-page issue for September 1944 with illustrated cover with bold sentiment - CITE ARDENTE (In French, Liege is associated with the epithet la cité ardente ('the fervent city')); interior page two illustrated with full-page map entitled: 'La Liberation Arrive Septembre 1944" with "V V V" and British flag (Liege was liberated by the British military in September 1944). Lead article, Derniers Conseils (latest tips) - La Liberation est imminente! (Liberation is imminent). The current order can be summed up in these words - Prudence, Dignity and above all Discipline. Full page illustration of the retreat of the German army. Illustration of Hitler, the condemned man’s last cigarette. Illustrations of liberation parade, smiling Churchill and FDR with V, and others.
- L’Essor Ardennais, rural resistance paper, three issues (July 1943, Sept-Oct. 1943, Dec. 1943). Notable issue is No. 1, first issue for Ardennes, illustrations of farming scenes and implements, with symbol for the peasant defense movement for the Ardenne.
- La Resistance Belge, Huy-Waremme, Belgium. January 1944. The Independence Front will lead the Belgian people to liberation!
- Coeurs Belges (Belgian Heart), Liège, God save free Belgium, 16 biweekly issues in French, dedicated to honor and mourn the sacrifices of Belgian men and women, with biographies, illustrations, and photographic inserts. Highlights include September 15, 1944 edition, “Le Supreme Message des Volontaires de law Brigade Speciale du Front De L’Independence fusilles a la Citadelle de Liege le 15 Juillet 1944” (“The Supreme Message of the Volunteers of the Special Brigade of the Independence Front shot at the Citadel of Liege on July 15, 1944”); “Enfin . . . la victoire!” (Finally Victory!). Commenting on the collapse of Germany: “the great events that we are experiencing have provoked in the liberated territories a tremendous explosion of joy of enthusiasm.” October 15, 1944 edition, honoring Walthere Dewe, founder of the Clarence resistance network, other issues honor members of the network, include Professor Frans Kennes of Stevelot (died at Gross-Rosen camp), Madeline Dewe
- Contre-Attaque! Pour La Liberte! Monthly information sheet for combat with reports from various towns and cities in Belgium.
- Le Soir, May 9, 1945, Jour V (Victory Day), Proclamation de la Victoire (Victory Proclamation). Front page photos (signing the terms of capitulation at Reims, Jeep with smiling young men and women, one waving an American flag, in Brussels). Detailed reports about the united nations celebrating victory, with reports/speeches from President Truman, PM Churchill, General de Gaulle.
- Liberation de Liege, Paris 1945. Richly illustrated cover in color, with celebration and Belgian and French flags waving. 24 pages, softcover publication. Black and white illustrations related to the liberation, including American tank.
- General Railway Warrant, U.S. Army, September 29, 1945 (Namur/Brussels).
- Program, Gala Poétique de la Resistance (15 Mars 1945), Palais Des Beaux Arts, Bruxelles. Beautifully printed with artistic cover featuring Free French and resistance. Autographed by several of the artists who performed at the Gala, including Louis Aragon, Eve Francis, Pierre Emmanuel, Jean-Louis Barrault, Jean Chevrier, and Marie Bell. Louis Aragon was a French poet who was one of the leading voices of the surrealist movement in France. Ève Francis (20 August 1886 - 6 December 1980) was an actress and film-maker; she was born in Belgium but spent most of her career in France. Pierre Emmanuel was a French poet of Christian inspiration. Jean-Louis Bernard Barrault (8 September 1910 - 22 January 1994) was a French actor, director and mime artist who worked on both screen and stage. Jean Chevrier (25 April 1915 - 13 December 1975) was a French film actor and member of the Comédie-Française. Marie Bell (23 December 1900 - 14 August 1985), was a French tragedian, comic actor and stage director, and married to Jean Chevrier. During the German Occupation of France (1940-1944), Marie Bell participated in the French resistance as one of nine directors of the Front national du théâtre.[3] She was awarded the decoration of the Légion d'honneur by President Charles de Gaulle.
- Postcard: Belgium, “Remembrance of the Liberation” with flag-waving persons (US, UK, Belgium, France, USSR flags)
(2) The Netherlands
- De Vrij E Pers (The Free Press) apparently associated with Het Parool, 3 May 1945, two pages, war news.
- Het Laatste Nieuws (The Latest News), April 24, 1945 (single sheet, two sided). Front page report about the new US President, Harry S. Truman, with an illustrated portrait of President Truman, and note, in English: “Good luck, Mr. President!”
Several other issues for April 17, 1945 (illustration of solder smoking cigarette); April 18, 1945; April 19, 1945 (illustration of scowling man, when pessimism reigns supreme); April 22, 1945 (extra, one-sided); April 23, 1945.
- Het Laatste Nieeuws, April 27, 1945, April 25, 1945 (“Voelgel Per Vliegtuigen!); April 28, 1945 (British Parliamentary visit to Nazi concentration camp at Buchenwald, described as “monument van menselijke verwording heft” - “monument of human degeneration” - with summary of British report of findings).
- Je Maintiendrai, May 3, 1945 with undated special edition “Eindelijk Zijn Wij Vrij” (“Finally We Are Free”)
Trouw (Fidelity), Haarlem, April 28, 1945, the Netherlands in San Francisco.
- Lichtflits, May 9, 1945.
- April 28, 1945, extra-edition (“Capitulattieberichten” - “Capitulation Messages”)
- April 29, 1945, extra edition April 30, 1945 (H.K.H. Prinses Juliana viert heden haar verjaardag (Princess Juliana is celebrating her birthday today); May 1, 1945
- De Vliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman), Last number, 10 May 1945 - Headline -- “DUITSCHLAND CAPITULEERT” (Germany Capitulates). Newspaper printed in Great Britain and dropped in the Netherlands to motivate the Dutch civilian population during German occupation. Outstanding photographs of Gen. Eisenhower, Churchill with the Royal family, celebrations in London and NYC (Times Square).
- De Vliegende Hollander (The Flying Dutchman), Extra number, Easter 1945 -- De Koningin bezoekt bevrijd gebied (The Queen Visits Liberated Territory)
- In Den Storm (Naarde Overwinning), In the storm (to victory), April 30, 1945 (Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov at the UN Charter Conference in San Francisco).
- Military Authority travel passes, with official seals, for the Levenbach family and Johan Stork (august 1945).
- Aar De Overwinning (To Victory), April 13, 1945, Bold headline: “PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT OVERLEDEN” (President Roosevelt Passes Away), with accompanying article about his passing in Warm Springs.
- Algemeen Handelsblad (General Trade Magazine), April 16, 1945 (single sheet, one side). Army report, red cross surrender, the defense of German cities. Algemeen Handelsblad was an influential Amsterdam-based liberal daily newspaper published between 1828 and 1970. It was founded in 1828 by J.W. van den Biesen, a stockbroker. The paper aimed at providing news about trade, shareholding and banking. Later its coverage was expanded to cover political news.
- Two Orange, Pressed Glass, Liberation Vases, Holland 1945. The vase was designed by Andries D. Copier (1901 - 1991) in 1945. The vase was produced in large quantities to celebrate - commemorate Dutch liberation by the Allied Forces in May 1945. By the way, the orange color was discovered by accident or better, by a chance of luck, in 1928. Orange is also the color of our Royal House.
Medal, awarded by Dutch citizens to Allied forces upon the liberation of Holland in 1945; Dutch coin used as the frame for the medal.
- Postcard: Amsterdam. Holland, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, with illustration of town scene ending Nazi occupation.
(3) France
- Postcard of the American-French flag displayed upon the liberation of Paris on August 24, 1944, at the Eiffel Tower.
- libération, 18 January 1944, a publication of the French resistance.
(4) United Kingdom
- News Sheet, The Tristan Times, Tristan da Cunhn, South Atlantic Ocean, September 18, 1943. Summary of war news from Italy/Salerno (with map), Russia, the War against Japan, and the War in the Air (Europe). Postmark: Tristan d Cunha, South Atlantic Ocean, 18 Sep 1943.
(5) Autographed Books (related to WWII and its aftermath)
- Henry L. Stimson & McGeorge Bundy, On Active Service in Peace and War, autographed edition, two volumes, boxed, first edition (Harper & Brothers). From the library of General Brehon Somervell (general in the United States Army and Commanding General of the Army Service Forces in World War II, responsible for the U.S. Army's logistics, referenced several times in the books). Handwritten inscription: “To General Somervell with much respect, affection and gratitude. Henry L. Stimson.”
- Dean Acheson, Present at the Creation, My Years in the State Department (Norton, first edition, 1969). Autographed: “Dean Acheson.”
- Gen. Lucius D. Clay, Decision in Germany, A Personal Report on the Four Crucial Years that Set the Course of Future World History (Doubleday & Company, First Edition, 1950). Autographed: “Lucius D. Clay.”
(6) Belgium V.E. Day Flag Grouping
- Five paper flags of several nations waved by the exuberant crowd in Brussels, Belgium on May 8, 1944. The flags average about 7 1⁄2” x 5” with wood shafts, and they represent the United States, Belgium, Free French, Great Britain and the USSR. The U.S. flag has an ink notation: “Allied Officer’s Club Brussels V. Day” and is signed by three officers. The U.S. flag bears a few old tape repairs, the other flags are very good. Also included is an original, May 9, 1925 photograph of the new American Embassy in Brussels (Keystone wire service photo).
(7) Rare Original Photographs
- V-E Day celebrated in Brussels, Belgium at La Bourse (Stock Exchange), dated May 5, 1945. Small original photograph of a large crowd celebrating victory of the allies in Europe.
- Original, unmarked photograph from Brussels during World War II. Street scene of vendor in Brussels, Belgium, with U.S. Army jeep in the background. Vendor apparently selling bread and other baked goods from his dog-drawn cart at the Sablon area of Brussels.
U.S. Signal Corps Photograph, Passed for Publication by SHAEF Field Press Censor, September 7, 1944. Residents of Tournai, Belgium, flock into the streets to welcome the vanguard of American troops which arrived after driving out the Nazis.
- Confidential U.S. Signal Corps Photograph, approved by Field Office Censor on September 7, 1944. “Residents of Couvin, Belgium flock into the streets to welcome the American troops arriving in ever-increasing numbers in their drive across France and Belgium into Germany.” Photo features smiling citizens of all ages, waving flags, and cheering U.S. troops on their tanks.
- U.S. Signal Corps Photograph, Certified as Passed for Publication by SHAEF Censor. Bildservice. “BELGIANS WELCOME AMERICANS -- Belgian children stretch out their hands as American soldiers give out gum and candy in Soignies, Belgium, liberated during an advance of a U.S. armored infantry unit.” September 12, 1944: The inhabitants welcome a half- track of the 2nd DB US during the liberation of the city.
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