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ALS in French, signed “C. de Gaulle,” four pages on two adjoining sheets, 5.25 x 8, Republique Francaise, Hotel des Invalides letterhead, October 8, 1934. Handwritten letter to "Mon cher ami," in part (translated): "No doubt, this note will be awaiting you in Fez, once your time out in the field has come to an end. You will likely be quite pleased to lead a life a little less 'out in the sticks' this winter—despite the fondness you have for it from time to time. There is so much that is 'new' in the world at this moment that the 'new' has ceased to be remarkable, and one might sincerely say 'nothing new' to summarize these impressions. All the same, regarding domestic affairs, I see that the marked rallying of the Radicals to what must surely be called 'national unity' constitutes a decisive element of stability. This is significant, and it comes at just the right moment, for tempers were beginning to run a little too high. As for foreign affairs, we are witnessing the dismantling of the tenets of French policy as they have been practiced since the war.
The League of Nations is no longer a source of security, but rather a venue where negotiations are conducted solely with an eye to our own national interests. Poland is drifting away from us. Yugoslavia is seeking a new path. Even Romania is preparing to part ways with us. By way of consolation, we have the self-serving assistance of the Russians and the affected courtesies of Mussolini. I would very much like to see a coherent French policy begin to take shape. When shall we see you again? Pironeaux is in Belgrade. The professional army is making great strides…At Marsouche…where I served as an umpire, we were deeply struck by the manifest incompetence of the reserve division." In very fine condition.
Written amid the political upheaval of 1934, this letter reflects France’s mounting instability during the Great Depression and the rise of extremist movements across Europe. De Gaulle comments on the fragile “national unity” emerging in French politics following the Stavisky Affair and the formation of a National Union government, while expressing concern over the erosion of France’s foreign alliances and the shifting balance of power abroad.
His remarks on the “professional army” are especially significant, aligning with the ideas he had just advanced in his influential military treatise Vers l’armée de métier (Toward a Professional Army), published earlier that year. In it, de Gaulle argued for a modern, mechanized force in place of outdated defensive strategies—views that would later prove prophetic in the face of World War II.
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