Jules Berthémy

Jules François Gustave Berthémy began his diplomatic career as a secretary at the French mission in Saxony and directed the foreign minister’s cabinet between 1860 and 1862. He then represented France in China. In 1864 he resisted calls for an intervention in Korea, warning that an unsuccessful expedition could make conditions worse for missionaries. Paris approved his restraint. ^{1, 2}

His Washington mission included efforts to develop common international rules. In August 1867 he presented the conclusions of the Paris monetary conference to Secretary of State William Seward and sought the American government’s response. The proposals favored a gold standard, common coin fineness, and further negotiations toward monetary unification. Berthémy acknowledged that Washington would need to consult Congress. ³

In March 1868 he renewed France’s request for an American decision on the Geneva Convention of 1864, which concerned wounded soldiers in the field. He explicitly followed up an approach made by Montholon two years earlier. His correspondence also addressed diplomatic precedence in Morocco. ^{4, 5}

Berthémy later represented France in Japan from 1873 to 1875. His papers, preserved by the French diplomatic archives, include correspondence from China and Japan and registers from the United States. He died in 1902. ¹