Schumann, Maurice

The son of a textile manufacturer, a Jew. Mother is a Catholic.

In 1939, a military translator of the English Expeditionary Force, went to England on June 21, 1940 and joined General de Gaulle . He became the main speaker of Free France on the BBC , thanks to this he gained wide popularity. Maurice Druon recalled meeting Schuman when he arrived in London from France ^[1] :

The first I saw was Maurice Schumann, the mouthpiece of Free France; In the evenings, quite often, in the evenings I listened to his epic diatribes on London radio, which was preceded by the announcement “Honor and Homeland” and the call sign - Beethoven’s music. The one who was called the "Voice of the curfew" was a little mythical creature in his night distance. I ended up in an office at Carleton Gardens in front of a thin lieutenant with a slightly emaciated face. He wrapped his leg around the chair, and he violently bit the corner of the handkerchief, which he held in his left hand, and with his right finger, he tapped the keys of a typewriter. He was preparing his evening performance. “The flames of the French Resistance must not fade and will not fade,” de Gaulle proclaimed in his appeal on June 18. Nowhere was this flame burning with such heat as in this small office, from where every night the hope of the oppressed people was illuminated.

Friendship in war is born quickly. The friendship that connected me with Maurice Schuman was born at that moment. It lasted quite a long time, until his death.

In 1942 he converted from Judaism to Catholicism. In June 1944 he landed in Normandy as part of the Allied forces with the task of maintaining contact with the Resistance forces.

The party was the People's Republican movement , in 1944-1949 was its chairman.

In 1945-1973 he was a deputy of the National Assembly , in 1974-1998 he was a senator .

Secretary of State ( Secrétaire d'État , Deputy Minister) for Foreign Affairs from 1951 to 1954.

In 1967-1969, the Minister of State ( Ministre d'État ), first for research, then for social issues.

Under President Pompidou, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs, held this post in 1969-1973. During a meeting of foreign ministers of the European Economic Community in 1969 , he announced the terms of France for England, joining the community at its third meeting, that is, the issues of agricultural finance should be settled first.

In 1974 he was elected a member of the French Academy . His successor in the 13th chair of the Academy was the former Prime Minister Pierre Messmer , whose cabinet included Schumann.