Winter 1961, Argentine passport establishment
44
Passports
The unrest in Algeria, which was increasingly violent, made it seem that 1960, that independence was inevitable, perhaps in a short time and especially under very bad conditions for French residents who risked meeting overnight without the protection of the French army. There was a fear of Arab revenge after the OAS's abuses against the Arabs.
This was the case from 1 July 1962, which led to the abduction and murder of some 2000 French nationals, especially in Oranie (in Oran and throughout the interior of Ora).
In view of this risk, we have thought that foreigners who are not French but Argentine could possibly be better protected by the future Algerian authorities than the French.
As a native of Argentina, I had Argentine nationality and I had used this opportunity to have my passport and my family established at the Argentine consulate in Paris.
The usefulness of this precaution was questionable, but the importance of the risk convinced us that this approach, by itself, was to be accomplished.
Claude and the three children left Algeria definitively in mid-March 1962, when independence was decided, which could only lead to new disorders.
I returned in September 1962, after my transfer to EDF was regularly pronounced.
Between these two dates, my situation was delicate, first of all with regard to the OAS, which killed the French people convinced to support the Government. In particular, several engineers from EGA had to be dispatched urgently to France, after having received specific threats from the OAS. I could have been targeted, but I had managed to keep a complete discretion on my actual opinions, which could have protected me.
Then, from 1 July, when Algerians took power, it was with the FLN that they had to protect themselves. The fellaghas sought revenge for black feet suspected of having participated in the O.A.S.
So one of my technical agents, a radio specialist, was suspected and kidnapped by the new masters in early July. After two days we were able to know in my department where he was "held", in the eastern suburbs of Algiers. With one of my engineers, Olives, we were in this F.L.N. post to defend our agent. It seems that they accused him of having radio stations at his home. It took a long discussion to show that his profession at EGA explained the presence of these materials at his home. They finally released our man, and we came back with him, relieved, but this expedition was obviously full of risks and we knew before we left that we could never return. None The French army, police or gendarmerie were no longer allowed to intervene, so we were totally in the hands of the good or bad will of the F.L.N., power in fact belonging to local leaders who had to be able to control and learn to trust them.
It was a disturbing and very unpleasant situation.
See at the end of page 3 letters from Claude, dating from spring 61, at the time of the generals' putsch
Frederic's passport
Claude's passport, accompanied by Christophe and Martin
Yves' passport
The following are the documents used to establish these passports:
The "Identity" photos of the children, taken in view of these passports
Frédéric
_____________
Frédéric's Documents
Frédéric's birth certificate
Medical Certificate from Frédéric
Frédéric's file
Wedding of Yves and Claude
Marriage Act Yves and Claude, with legalization of signatures
Christophe
_____________
Christophe's documents
Christophe's birth certificate, with legalization
Medical Certificate from Christophe
_________
Yves's documents
Finding my military situation in violation of Argentine law
Certificate of French military position, for use in the Argentine army
Martin
________________
The documents of Martin
Birth certificate of Martin, with legalization
Medical Certificate of Martin
___________
The documents of Claude
Claude's birth certificate, with legalization
Medical Certificate from Claude
Claude's criminal record, with legalization
Letter from Claude to his family
Algiers, Monday 23 April 61
Dear everyone,
Here's the baroud d'honneur over. (This was the generals' putsch, which lasted 4 days since 21 April 61 and ended in disrepair for officers who had organized it with the troops of the Foreign Legion and some Parachutist units). At least it's better to understand it. We followed a part of the night (the surrender of mutineers and the escape of Generals Salan, Zeller and Jouhaud), but as soon as the Territorial Units and the Reserves are recalled (The OAS, feeling mutineers ready to give up and surrender, had ordered the general mobilization in Algeria and the convening of the Territorial Units, composed mainly of black feet, this of course had no effect, since the population was not in its majority ready to die for French Algeria without the support of a French army formed mainly of the contingent of called for 2 years 1/2)- the appointment was close to home – at 11am (on 22 April), Yves who had been there to give recognition had seen the gendarmerie in a position of combat, and had guessed that it was not joined (in the putsch) The dissident army was not going to be here any longer. (I had seen that evening a long column of armoured personnel - US-type self-imposed - stopped on a large avenue down the suburbs to the General Government building – held by the 4 generals of the coup, they were surely negotiating the surrender without combat, which was done in the early morning of 23 April, the armoured personnel of the gendarmerie replacing the men of the 1stir regiment of paratroopers from the Foreign Legion who returned to their barracks; this regiment, which did not include called contingent, was dissolved and its officers arrested, while the generals took the civilian flight)
...d-all the more so since in Médéa the army had remained government and the Fleet was to be in Algiers the next day. ( ???, I don't know what it is, but the fleet was in its majority government)
I am a waullist for fear of the worst and friend of order, I confess that from 10am to midnight, I was full of sympathy for this cause without hope. All is very sad. I wish this day went well and that the civilians called at the last minute on the Forum (in front of the GG, General Government) I hope you didn't get too scared of the coup d'état on the Elysée!
(The government feared a raid on Paris, which proved to be completely futile)
This epic seemed even more terrible than the previous ones. Life in the Army requires a very painful commitment if you have not been a mercenary.
_______________________________________
Letter from Claude to his parents
Algiers, 4 May 61
.....
Last Sunday we went into a delicious little wood, and from there we got to the sea (it was supposed to be at the Club des Pins, a private club that still exists for the rich Algerians of Independence) We were with the Durands and a whole bunch of "governments" (Government officials' box and not black feet)On Tuesday I went to a meeting of ACI (Catholic action of bourgeois circles) where everyone was very ultra. All these ladies said of the harm of Archbishop who in a pastoral letter had made say in the pulpit through the preacher that he condemned "the lost ready to any means". I confess that he had lacked psychology in this famous letter, but the fact is that 75% of the assembly of the church took the door at the time of this reading – and these ladies were ready to lose their soul by wanting to save Algeria.
Yves's still on tour...
_________________________________
Letter from Claude to his parents
Algiers, Wednesday 7 June61
...we are all in good health and the atmosphere in Algiers is very relaxed compared to a month or two. I was glad to see that the generals had not been judged too harshly. Yesterday I went to a dinner at St George, the chic hotel d'Alger, by an entrepreneur with the Durands and another contractor. And then we saw the director of the board of directors of the EGA and a colonel who had taken over the "Residence"
(Governor General's name)They were all fun to listen to, and that was interesting. I ate raw smoked salmon and enjoyed it... and foie gras scalops...
The Tutenit are going to go for Sens next week. Their political opinions are more and more grotesque
(they were ultra-Algeria French...)