Henri Martin Affair
Encyclopedia
The Henri Martin Affair was a political-military scandal that happened under the French Fourth Republic
during the First Indochina War
. It lasted from March 1950 to September 1953.
Henri Martin
, a French communist (PCF
) activist, was arrested by the military police for sabotage. He was released in September 1953.
Martin was sent to French Indochina in 1945 as a sailor, hoping to fight against the Japanese occupation, although Japanese forces had already been disarmed by the time Martin arrived. Martin assisted in the French shelling of Haiphong on November 23, 1946. Martin submitted his resignation, which was refused, and he eventually returned to Toulon.
In Toulon, in liaison with communists from Var, he started propaganda works at the armoury, distributing leaflets which encouraged sailors to demand a complete and immediate cessation of hostilities in Indochina.
The military police arrested Martin on March 13 1950 for complicity in sabotage. Although eventually found not guilty, on October 20th the Brest naval tribunal nevertheless sentenced him to five years of confinement for distributing propaganda hostile to the Indochina War.
While Martin's membership in the communist movement was not public, it was hardly in doubt to investigators. During this time, a number of activists had already been jailed for illegal actions against the Indochina War, but the Martin Affair stands out due to the disproportionate sentence of five years for a simple political activity against military regulation.
This affair drove Martin into the spotlight as a symbol of the "struggle of the French people against the dirty Indochina War". At the initiative of the French Communist Party, as well as intellectual and political elites, a defence committee was formed. Notable figures in support of Martin included Jean-Marie Domenach and his magazine Esprit (Mind), Jean Cocteau, and Jean-Paul Sartre, who at the end of 1953 published a book entitled "The Henry Martin Affair".
The campaign against Martin's sentence reached a fevered pitch, with meetings, demonstrations, and leaflets in his support. On May 19 1951, the judgement was set aside, and formally expunged by July 19. In spite of this, Martin was only freed on August 2, 1953.
Philippe Robrieux wrote that the Martin Affair took proportions which evoked the memory of the Dreyfus Affair.
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
during the First Indochina War
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
. It lasted from March 1950 to September 1953.
Henri Martin
Henri Martin (politician)
Henri Martin is a militant of the French Communist Party famous for having been in the heart of the sabotage scandal Henri Martin Affair during the First Indochina War.- See also :* Henri Martin Affair* Generals' Affair...
, a French communist (PCF
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
) activist, was arrested by the military police for sabotage. He was released in September 1953.
Martin was sent to French Indochina in 1945 as a sailor, hoping to fight against the Japanese occupation, although Japanese forces had already been disarmed by the time Martin arrived. Martin assisted in the French shelling of Haiphong on November 23, 1946. Martin submitted his resignation, which was refused, and he eventually returned to Toulon.
In Toulon, in liaison with communists from Var, he started propaganda works at the armoury, distributing leaflets which encouraged sailors to demand a complete and immediate cessation of hostilities in Indochina.
The military police arrested Martin on March 13 1950 for complicity in sabotage. Although eventually found not guilty, on October 20th the Brest naval tribunal nevertheless sentenced him to five years of confinement for distributing propaganda hostile to the Indochina War.
While Martin's membership in the communist movement was not public, it was hardly in doubt to investigators. During this time, a number of activists had already been jailed for illegal actions against the Indochina War, but the Martin Affair stands out due to the disproportionate sentence of five years for a simple political activity against military regulation.
This affair drove Martin into the spotlight as a symbol of the "struggle of the French people against the dirty Indochina War". At the initiative of the French Communist Party, as well as intellectual and political elites, a defence committee was formed. Notable figures in support of Martin included Jean-Marie Domenach and his magazine Esprit (Mind), Jean Cocteau, and Jean-Paul Sartre, who at the end of 1953 published a book entitled "The Henry Martin Affair".
The campaign against Martin's sentence reached a fevered pitch, with meetings, demonstrations, and leaflets in his support. On May 19 1951, the judgement was set aside, and formally expunged by July 19. In spite of this, Martin was only freed on August 2, 1953.
Philippe Robrieux wrote that the Martin Affair took proportions which evoked the memory of the Dreyfus Affair.
See also
- Henri MartinHenri Martin (politician)Henri Martin is a militant of the French Communist Party famous for having been in the heart of the sabotage scandal Henri Martin Affair during the First Indochina War.- See also :* Henri Martin Affair* Generals' Affair...
- French Communist PartyFrench Communist PartyThe French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
- Generals' AffairGenerals' AffairThe Generals' Affair was a political-military scandal that happened under the French Fourth Republic during the First Indochina War...
- First Indochina WarFirst Indochina WarThe First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
- Piastres AffairPiastres AffairThe Piastres Affair also known as Piastres Scandal and Piastres Trade was a financial-political scandal of the French Fourth Republic that broke out in 1950 during the First Indochina War.-See also:*French Indochinese piastre*Generals' Affair*Henri Martin Affair*First Indochina...