Hervé Alphand

Hervé Alphand began in the French financial administration, serving in ministerial offices and negotiating commercial agreements during the 1930s. Posted to Washington as a financial attaché after France's defeat, he rejected collaboration, resigned in June 1941, and joined de Gaulle in London. He subsequently directed economic work for the Free French and represented them at the 1943 food and agriculture conference in Hot Springs, Virginia. ¹

After liberation, Alphand helped organize reconstruction and European economic cooperation. He chaired the committee preparing Europe's response to the Marshall Plan and worked on international arrangements for the Ruhr. He then represented France at NATO and contributed to negotiations for the proposed European Defence Community, whose treaty the French parliament rejected in 1954. ¹

His Washington embassy combined difficult strategic negotiations with cultural diplomacy. In 1962 he conveyed Kennedy's proposal concerning ballistic missiles, while disagreements over Vietnam persisted. At the Metropolitan Museum's unveiling of the Mona Lisa in February 1963, he spoke about the painting's enduring fascination during its rare American visit. ^{1, 2}

Alphand returned to Paris in 1965 as secretary-general of the foreign ministry and remained until 1972. He later undertook an assignment on international economic questions. ³