Jacques Bouly de Lesdain (4 October 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'' (; 1843–1944) was a French language, French illustrated weekly newspaper published in Paris. It was founded by Édouard Charton with the first issue published on 4 March 1843, it became the first illustrated newspaper in ...

'' and he organised anti-

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

conferences during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life

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

Sciences Po Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

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 is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

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

Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert (, , ; ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region in North China and southern Mongolia. It is the sixth-largest desert in the world. The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word ''gobi'', used to refer to all of th ...

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 ''Action Française'' (, AF; ) is a French far-right monarchist and nationalist political movement. The name was also given to a journal associated with the movement, '' L'Action Française'', sold by its own youth organization, the Camelot ...

. Bouly de Lesdain joined ''

'' as a contributor based in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, Switzerland, in 1939. During

, he supported Germany and met Otto Abetz 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 The (; ) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the Exposition Universelle (1900), 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

. It was attended by more than a million visitors, and later shown in

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

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

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 (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

from 31 May to 31 October 1941. By then, he openly criticised Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Bénoni Omer Joseph Pétain (; 24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), better known as Marshal Pétain (, ), was a French marshal who commanded the French Army in World War I and later became the head of the Collaboration with Nazi Ger ...

for failing to take a hard line on racial policy, and he was engaged in "active

collaborationism Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory". The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th c ...

". In August 1944, he fled to the

Sigmaringen Castle Sigmaringen Castle () 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 skyline of the town of Sigmar ...

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 Antisemitism in France People from Dunkirk Sciences Po alumni 20th-century French lawyers 20th-century French explorers 20th-century French diplomats 20th-century French journalists French radio journalists People of Vichy France Critics of Freemasonry Nazis sentenced to death in absentia by France People convicted of indignité nationale