Original 1938 French Ministry of War Typed Letter Signed by General Maurice Gamelin — Chief of the French Army General Staff and one of the most important French military commanders of the pre-WWII period.
Offered is an original Typed Letter Signed (TLS) dated Paris, July 7, 1938, on official MINISTÈRE DE LA GUERRE – Le Général, Chef d\'État-major général de l\'Armée stationery and personally signed in ink by General Maurice Gustave Gamelin (1872–1958).
Gamelin was one of the senior figures in the French military establishment during the crucial years immediately preceding World War II and subsequently became Commander-in-Chief of the French armed forces during the opening phase of the 1939–1940 war. By 1938 he occupied the highest levels of French military command, making original correspondence from this period particularly desirable to collectors of French Army, interwar and WWII history. French military archives preserve extensive Gamelin correspondence and strategic papers from this exact period.
The letter is more interesting than a routine acknowledgment because its contents can be placed within a specific Franco-Polish literary and military network.
Gamelin thanks the recipient for sending him a personally dedicated copy of the book “Tragédie.” He notes that this was apparently the second copy sent to him. Several weeks earlier, General Musse had written to tell Gamelin that the first copy had been dispatched, but Gamelin had never received it and therefore regretted being unable to acknowledge it.
Research strongly indicates that the book referenced was the 1937 French edition of Tragédie by Polish author Ladislas/Władysław Pilars de Pilar, published near Warsaw. The General Musse mentioned in the letter is very likely General Félix Musse, who served as the French military attaché in Poland during this period. The attribution of the recipient to Pilars de Pilar is compelling but is presented as a research conclusion rather than an absolute identification because the recipient\'s name is not typed on the surviving letter.
The connection is additionally interesting because the French edition of Tragédie was associated with Marshal Ferdinand Foch, giving the correspondence relevance to collectors of French and Polish military history as well as autograph and manuscript collectors.
The letter itself reads in part that Gamelin is grateful for the dedicated copy of Tragédie, acknowledges that it is the second copy sent to him, explains that General Musse had already informed him several weeks earlier of the first shipment, and closes by thanking the recipient for his attention.
This is a genuine TLS — Typed Letter Signed, rather than a fully handwritten autograph letter. The body was produced on a period typewriter and the closing carries Gamelin\'s large original handwritten ink signature.
Physical details and condition
The document consists of a single folded sheet of quality official French government correspondence paper, typed on the appropriate panels and retaining its original period folds.
The cream-colored paper shows attractive and entirely appropriate age toning with scattered small foxing/oxidation marks and several light tan spots. Strong original horizontal and vertical folds divide the opened sheet into panels. There is minor wear at the intersection of the folds, including what appears to be a very small pinhole or beginning separation at the center crossing. I see no major edge losses, extensive tearing or modern tape repairs in the supplied photographs.
The typewritten text remains crisp and highly legible.
Most importantly, Gamelin\'s ink signature remains bold and clearly visible, with natural variation in the ink strokes.
When illuminated from behind, the paper displays a large period manufacturer\'s watermark extending across part of the sheet. The watermark is visible in the accompanying photographs and provides another interesting feature for collectors of original manuscripts and historical paper.
This is an excellent original document for a collection focused on Maurice Gamelin, French Army history, the French Ministry of War, pre-WWII Europe, France and Poland relations, Marshal Foch, military autographs, historical manuscripts or original WWI/WWII-era militaria.
The correspondence itself concerns a presentation book rather than military orders or operational intelligence; its importance lies in the 1938 date, senior military authorship, official Ministry of War stationery, original Gamelin signature and identifiable French-Polish historical context.
Guaranteed original period item as described. Please examine all high-resolution photographs carefully as they form an important part of the condition description.
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Item specificsItem specific
Signed ByMaurice GamelinTypeTyped Letter Signed / AuthenticationNot AuthenticatedYear1938DateJuly 7, 1938Country/RegionFranceCountry of / HistoricalConflictPre-WWII / World War II EraOrganizationFrench Army / Ministry of WarSubjectFrench Military HistoryMaterialPaperNumber of Documents1Modified ItemNoVintageYesEra1930sDocument TypeMilitary CorrespondenceHistorical FigureGeneral Maurice Gamelin
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