Georges Bonnet

Georges Bonnet combined a diplomatic appointment with a long career in French parliamentary politics. Born in Dordogne in 1889, he trained in law and philosophy, entered the Conseil d'État, and served as an artillery officer in the First World War. Elected a Radical deputy in 1924, he held numerous ministerial offices, including finance and commerce. ¹

His brief Washington ambassadorship preceded his return to the finance ministry in June 1937. He warned President Franklin Roosevelt about the danger of war and opposed American neutrality legislation. Bonnet became foreign minister in April 1938 and supported the Munich settlement, seeking to avoid war with Germany. ¹

In a speech to the Chamber of Deputies on 26 January 1939, he defended the Franco-German declaration signed the previous December. He presented recognition of the existing frontier and a commitment to consultation as practical safeguards against war, while insisting that France retained its obligations to Poland and the Soviet Union. ²

After the outbreak of war he became justice minister. He voted to give Pétain constitutional powers in July 1940 and served on Vichy's National Council. Following years in Switzerland, he rebuilt his political position in Dordogne, returned to Parliament in 1956, and remained a deputy until 1968. He died in 1973. ¹