François MITTERRAND and his military service in 1939.

François Mitterrand (1916.1996)

Autograph letter signed to Marie-Louise Terrasse, known as Catherine Langeais.

Two pages in 4°. [Fort d’Ivry]. Thursday February 16, 1939.

« I still have to build my courage. »

“My little girl, I would like my tenderness to be so sweet (this evening and every day of our lives) that you will never be sad. I am distraught in the face of your pain, your boredom, your fatigue. I feel so awkward. And how could I not find my hands clumsy when they have to support my precious possession, my little girl whom I love.

My darling, I cannot express the feelings that live within me as I feel them. Seeing you so tired made me infinitely sorry. I would have liked to shout my love to you, and not, all the same, make it intrusive. I would have liked a sudden omnipotence to take hold of me and grant me the right to heal you, to give you back the appearance of happiness.

My beloved, how are you at this moment? Above all, don't have a bad night. Sleep well, and tomorrow nothing will appear of the nasty suddenness of this evening. I would rather have any suffering for myself than to know that you are devastated by an illness or illness. And all my life I will try to impose this choice.

For Saturday: I have every chance of having free time: in this case I will wait for you at 4 p.m. (until 4:30 p.m.), at the entrance to Bd Raspail (in front of the pharmacy). If by extraordinary means this free area were removed, it would then be from 6 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in this same place (pharmacy at the top of Bd Raspail).

You will receive this letter tomorrow morning, Friday. You will therefore be able to report on these meetings in your letter tomorrow and approve them or give me others. In any case, if for some unforeseen reason we missed each other in the afternoon, the 6 p.m. appointment would hold. The time that follows will be so long. But I don't want to think about it too much yet. I still have to build my courage.

My darling Zou, after all, these days are only a brief moment of time allocated to us, of time which will be our property. Get back on your feet, and find your smile again (that smile you loved the first time). I think of you intensely. You are my life. Let me, my Zou, hold you close and tell you that I love you. This can't make you tired, can it? I embrace you with all my tenderness and I love you. Francis. Tomorrow I will write to you before 2 a.m. So you will have the letter tomorrow evening. Good evening my dearest. F.”

Catherine Langeais (1923.1998), whose real name is Marie-Louise Terrasse, met François Mitterrand on January 28, 1938, during the École Normale Supérieure ball, with whom, although only 15 years old, she became engaged. Mitterrand wrote more than 300 letters to the woman he nicknamed Zou.