MOULIN JEAN PIERRE: (1899-1943) French President of the National Council of the Resistance during World War II. Widely regarded as one of the main heroes of the French Resistance. Moulin was tortured by German Nazi Gestapo officer Klaus Barbie and died as a result of these tortures. Rare T.L.S., `Jean Moulin´, one page, 8vo, Rodez, near Toulouse, 28th November 1938, to Monsieur Maurice Bellonte, in French. On the printed heading of the “Prefecture de l´Aveyron, Cabinet du Prefet”, Moulin in his capacity as Prefect of Aveyron states `C´est bien volontiers que, par couier de ce jour, je suis intervenu tres chaleureusement aupres de mon Collegue des Pyrénées-Orientales en vue de la régularisation de la situation du jeune Oriols que vous avez le désir d´employer dans votre propriété..´ (“It is with pleasure that, by courier of this day, I intervene very warmly with my colleague from the Pyrénées-Orientales with a view to regularizing the situation of the young Oriols that you wish to employ in your property..”) Moulin was the France´s youngest Prefect. Only a month later he was appointed Prefect of Chartres, where he decided not to collaborate with German invaders, joining the French Resistance. In June 1940 he was arrested by the Gestapo. With blank integral leaf. Two binder holes to the left border, not affecting the text or signature. VG

 

Maurice Bellonte (1896-1983) French Aviator who set flight distance records. Associated with Dieudonné Costes, he performed in 1930 the first westbound crossing of the North Atlantic, from Paris to New York, on board if the Breguet XIX, named Point d´Interrogation”.