Darlan: Admiral and Statesman of France, 1881-1942

(Hardback)

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Admiral Jean Francois Darlan's Western legacy is that of an opportunist, a fascist collaborator, or, at worst, a traitor during France's struggle for survival in the early years of World War II. This study, however, based upon new research from French, English and German archival sources, paints a different picture. With a career beginning during the height of France's imperial power and lasting until the nation's rapid wartime decline, Darlan was a pragmatic statesman, a guardian of naval preparedness, a stout opponent of fascism, an earnest patron of the Anglo-French Alliance, and an advocate of combined naval power in the Mediterranean. He defended French naval and colonial interests against all foreign powers before and during the war, and his success in this area eventually resulted in his assassination. Darlan's career was characterized by his loyal service to his government and nation. One of the first to recognize the German threat, he openly favoured naval rearmament in the early 1930s. He was also instrumental in the success of the 1937 Nyon Conference on Mediterranean security, which was the only prewar military effort against fascist aggression. During the occupation, Darlan pursued diplomacy to ease the burdens of the French people. Yet, these very negotiations with the Germans, along with his bitter reaction to Britain's surprise attack against the French fleet at Mers el-Kebir, would result in his reputation as an opportunist and a collaborator with the fascists. This examination of the man whose murder would ease the way for Charles de Gaulle should captivate anyone interested in the political intrigues of World War II.

Reviews

.,."an analysis that provides an interesting corrective to the popular Gaullist view of the Admiral as a traitor to France."-Modern & Contemporary France
"Dr. Melton has admirably succeeded in writing a truly lucid, well-documented account of Darlan's life and work...other biographers of Darlan have presented a limited picture of the admiral since they chose to exclude Darlan's formation, his intense patriotism and his belief in the fundamental principles of the French Republic and what Darlan and many of his contemporaries viewed as France's mission to civilize. Melton has restored these valuable details. Moreover, the author has sought to question received perceptions of Darlan's record during the Occupation in order to present the significantly persuading evidence he has uncovered. In his introduction, Professor Melton states that "[I]t is now possible to view Darlan in fresh perspective and assess his career with better balance and objectivity...Melton has laudably achieved that goal and consequently has drawn a fresh image of Darlan from the shadow of both the collaborationists and Charles de Gualle"-European Studies Journal
...an analysis that provides an interesting corrective to the popular Gaullist view of the Admiral as a traitor to France.-Modern & Contemporary France
[Melton's] fulfills a real need in that it serves to make Darlan better known on the other side of the Atlantic and because it deploys information on Darlan from the vast resources of the U.S. archives that will be new for the most part to French and German researchers on the subject. Thus, Melton manages to integrate new information into an overview of Darlan's life and career which is...balanced and insightful...-Journal of Military History
Dr. Melton has admirably succeeded in writing a truly lucid, well-documented account of Darlan's life and work...other biographers of Darlan have presented a limited picture of the admiral since they chose to exclude Darlan's formation, his intense patriotism and his belief in the fundamental principles of the French Republic and what Darlan and many of his contemporaries viewed as France's mission to civilize. Melton has restored these valuable details. Moreover, the author has sought to question received perceptions of Darlan's record during the Occupation in order to present the significantly persuading evidence he has uncovered. In his introduction, Professor Melton states that "[I]t is now possible to view Darlan in fresh perspective and assess his career with better balance and objectivity...Melton has laudably achieved that goal and consequently has drawn a fresh image of Darlan from the shadow of both the collaborationists and Charles de Gualle-European Studies Journal
This reviewer can recommend this work for the WWII afficionado/da whose collection of the period tends to the military-political and the biographical aspects.-Military and Naval History Journal
Whatever one's judgement of Darlan, Melton provides ample evidence upon which to base a judgement....Melton has presented an important study of Darlan and the regime he served.-The Northern Mariner
"Melton's fulfills a real need in that it serves to make Darlan better known on the other side of the Atlantic and because it deploys information on Darlan from the vast resources of the U.S. archives that will be new for the most part to French and German researchers on the subject. Thus, Melton manages to integrate new information into an overview of Darlan's life and career which is...balanced and insightful..."-Journal of Military History
..."an analysis that provides an interesting corrective to the popular Gaullist view of the Admiral as a traitor to France."-Modern & Contemporary France
"[Melton's] fulfills a real need in that it serves to make Darlan better known on the other side of the Atlantic and because it deploys information on Darlan from the vast resources of the U.S. archives that will be new for the most part to French and German researchers on the subject. Thus, Melton manages to integrate new information into an overview of Darlan's life and career which is...balanced and insightful..."-Journal of Military History
"This reviewer can recommend this work for the WWII afficionado/da whose collection of the period tends to the military-political and the biographical aspects."-Military and Naval History Journal
"Whatever one's judgement of Darlan, Melton provides ample evidence upon which to base a judgement....Melton has presented an important study of Darlan and the regime he served."-The Northern Mariner

Author Bio

GEORGE E. MELTON is Professor of History and Department Chair at St. Andrews Presbyterian cCllege in Laurinburg, North Carolina.