De Gaulle’s Original 18 June 1940 Appeal Manuscript Donated to French National Archives
From left to right: Nicolas Orlowski, Charles de Gaulle, Yves de Gaulle, Jean de Gaulle, Pierre de Gaulle, Stéphane Aubert
On Thursday, June 12th, 2025, at Artcurial, the children of Admiral Philippe de Gaulle handed over to the French National Archives an exceptional collection of nearly 1,300 documents, manuscripts and typewritten papers, that belonged to their grandfather, General de Gaulle.
Among these items, rich in historical value and documentary significance, is one of the most emblematic texts in French history: the original manuscript of the Appeal of 18th June 1940, written in London by General de Gaulle. This document was publicly unveiled for the very first time in December 2024 at Artcurial during the auction De Gaulle, A Legacy for History.
From the 1,300 handwritten and typed documents submitted to the National Archives on 12 June 2025, at Artcurial
Other significant documents accompany this donation, including the manuscript of the speech delivered on 2nd July 1940, the text titled I Declare Myself a Free Frenchman, as well as General de Gaulle’s letter responding to the order to return to France issued by General Weygand in June 1940. Numerous additional writings related to the First World War and the General’s military career are also part of the collection.
On the 17th of June 1940, after learning of the resignation of Paul Reynaud’s government, General de Gaulle refused to accept defeat and flew to London, carrying with him the hope of France’s future. The following morning, while last-minute negotiations were still underway in Bordeaux, the idea of an appeal to resistance took shape. Together with his aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Geoffroy de Courcel, the General drafted a speech intended for radio broadcast. The text was then typed by the young Élisabeth de Miribel, whom he had met two days earlier.
Manuscript of the Appeal of June 18th accompanied by Yvonne de Gaulle’s calling card
Manuscrit du discours « Je me déclare Français Libre »
Despite the British Cabinet’s reluctance, which considered the initiative premature, de Gaulle managed at the last moment to secure permission to speak, on the condition that two phrases deemed offensive to the French authorities be removed. The original manuscript of the Appeal, heavily corrected and annotated, still bears the traces of these initial, unpublished formulations.
General de Gaulle delivered his speech at the BBC around 6pm, before it was broadcast on the airwaves a few hours later.
As a direct testimony to a decisive turning point in history, the manuscript of the Appeal embodies “the flame of the French Resistance.” It reveals not only the General’s strategic clarity in the face of the conflict’s outcome but also his keen awareness of its global significance. This exceptional document is accompanied by a note from Yvonne de Gaulle, written on one of her calling cards.
Long kept within the family of General de Gaulle, it was publicly exhibited for the first time from the 7th to the 15th of December 2024 at Artcurial. It officially joined the National Archives on the 12th of June 2025, during a ceremony held at the auction house in the salons of the Hôtel Marcel Dassault.
Nearly 1,300 Historical Documents
The children of Admiral Philippe de Gaulle also handed over nearly 1,300 pages, handwritten or typewritten, authored by their grandfather. This remarkable collection notably includes the manuscript of the speech delivered on 2nd July 1940, the text titled I Declare Myself a Free Frenchman, as well as the letter written in June 1940 in response to the order to return to France issued by General Weygand.
Also included are numerous drafts and manuscripts prepared for lectures, such as We Shall All Die Unknown and those given at the Saint-Cyr military academy, focused on military history. Finally, the collection contains preparatory pages for the book project The Soldier, an initiative started by Marshal Pétain to which the young officer de Gaulle contributed—a project that ultimately remained unpublished.
De Gaulle: A Legacy for History — A Landmark Auction at Artcurial
Stéphane Aubert hammering down lot 318, the LIP Calibre R 27 “Patent Pending”, No. 17298 in 18k gold, worn by General de Gaulle, at €537,920 including fees.
On 16th December 2025, Artcurial held the very first auction featuring a selection of writings and personal mementos of General de Gaulle, drawn from the estate of his son, Admiral Philippe de Gaulle.
Conducted by Stéphane Aubert, the sale took place before a packed audience of over 200 people, with 1,800 bidders participating online. The event achieved a total of €5.6 million including fees, part of which was donated to the Anne de Gaulle Foundation.
With 100% of the lots sold, the auction was met with remarkable success, marked by 140 preemptions and museum acquisitions from major French public institutions—including the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Archives, the Army Museum, the Ministries of the Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs, and the Museum of the Order of the Liberation.
Information
Aution Results
De Gaulle, A Legacy for History
Contact
Maxence Miglioretti
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