Maurice Schumann (French pronunciation: [mɔʁis ʃuman]; 10 April 1911 – 9 February 1998) was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou from 22 June 1969 to 15 March 1973. Schumann was a member of the Christian democratic Popular Republican Movement.

Maurice Schumann
Maurice Schumann (1969)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
22 June 1969 – 15 March 1973
PresidentGeorges Pompidou
Prime MinisterJacques Chaban-Delmas
Pierre Messmer
Preceded byMichel Debré
Succeeded byAndré Bettencourt
Personal details
Born(1911-04-10)10 April 1911
16th arrondissement of Paris, France
Died9 February 1998(1998-02-09) (aged 86)
Paris, France
Political partyMRP (1944–1967)
UDR (1967–1976)
RPR (1976–1998)
EducationLycée Janson-de-Sailly
Lycée Henri-IV
Alma materSorbonne

The son of an Alsatian Jewish father and Roman Catholic mother, he studied at the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly and the Lycée Henri-IV. He converted to his mother's faith in 1937. He once said of France's fate when suffering the Allied bombing raids, '....and now we are reduced to the most atrocious fate: to be killed without killing back, to be killed by friends without being able to kill our enemies'. During the Second World War he broadcast news reports and commentaries into France on the BBC French Service some 1,000 times in programs such as Honneur et Patrie.[1][2] He was called by some the "voice of France".[3]

During a meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Community in 1969, he stated France's conditions for Britain joining the community on its third application, i.e. questions of agricultural finance had to be settled first. Schumann died on 9 February 1998 in Paris, aged 86.[3]

References

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  1. ^ A History of Savoy: Gatekeeper of the Alps By John Dormandy
  2. ^ Across the Waves: How the United States and France Shaped the International Age of Radio by Derek W Vaillant
  3. ^ a b Pace, Eric (11 February 1998). "Maurice Schumann, 86, Dies; 'Voice of France' During War". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
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Government offices
Preceded by Minister of Scientific Research and Atomic and Space Questions
1967–1968
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Social Affairs
1968–1969
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Foreign Affairs
1969–1973
Succeeded by