CHANCERIESTHE DIPLOMATIC ATLAS

Henri Bonnet

Henri Bonnet trained as a historian and entered international affairs through journalism and the League of Nations. He worked in the League secretariat from 1920 to 1930, then directed the International Institute of Intellectual Cooperation. In 1940 he went to the United States, supported Free France, helped establish France Forever, and taught in New York. 1

He became commissioner for information in the French Committee of National Liberation and later information minister in the provisional government. Accredited as ambassador in Washington in December 1944, he represented a government rebuilding its international standing after occupation and liberation. 1

Bonnet signed the North Atlantic Treaty for France alongside Robert Schuman on 4 April 1949. His papers also include correspondence on the Marshall Plan, Germany, Berlin, European defence, and Indochina, as well as material on de Gaulle's 1945 American visit. 2, 1

After his Washington service he led the French delegation to the 1955 Bangkok conference organizing SEATO's institutions. Retirement brought further work with France–America organizations, archival and policy bodies, children's welfare, and business boards. 1

Washington Appointments

  • France — Ambassador, 1944–1954

Historic Moments

  • 1948–1949 — An air bridge to Berlin. When the Soviet Union blocked land access to West Berlin, the United States and its allies supplied the city by air. The airlift became a defining early commitment to West Berlin and a lasting point of connection between Americans and Germans.

Archival Sources

Archival references used in this account; descriptions and access vary by repository.

Sources

  1. Papiers Henri Bonnet (1888–1978)

    271PAAP, biography and contents description

  2. North Atlantic Treaty, signed at Washington 4 April 1949

    FRUS 1949, vol. IV, document 144; signatures pp. 284–285

  3. Diplomatic Representation for French Republic

    Complete published ambassador sequence from 1893 through Gérard Araud; separate Appt. and Amb. E. and P. dates; 1942 relations break and 1944 resumption

  4. Ambassade de France aux États-Unis — Ambassadeurs

    Cross-check of name forms and broad appointment/end years — Year ranges can differ from U.S. accreditation dates; neither exact start nor end dates inferred.

Biography checked 2026-10-28.

Cite or Reuse This Biography

Henri Bonnet. Chanceries Diplopedia. Biography reviewed 2026-10-28. Record 80a6f43469623a2a. https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/henri-bonnet-f8577488d6/

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Biography: Henri Bonnet