Marshal LYAUTEY - Important letter on the Colonial Exhibition of 1931.

Hubert LYAUTEY (1854.1934) Marshal of France.

Autograph letter signed to Marcel Olivier.

Two pages in-4° on paper addressed to him.

(Thorey). January 3, 1932

“Enough of Lyautey, we’ve had our fill of it,” that’s what everyone was thinking.

Very beautiful letter from Lyautey returning with bitterness to the Colonial Exhibition of 1931, organized by him and Mr. Olivier, Porte Dorée in Vincennes.

“My dear Governor General and friend, I received your good letter from Nice on the 29th. I have already telegraphed the wishes of my household for yours. I renew them to you very affectionately, thanking you for everything you tell me so cordially about our collaboration. For 1932 it will be a year so fraught with vital concerns for our country and for the world , that personal concerns do not count in view of such hazards. Speaking to me again about the Exhibition, you ask me if “our leaders are exactly aware of its success , and suspect the part that is due to my personal prestige”. They are perfectly aware of this and that is why they are so happy that it is over. This is why they and the City of Paris were so hostile to the reopening first, and then to the preservation of the slightest trace, not only of Angkor but even of the most harmless and gratuitous, such as Mount Vernon. , the great fortress…. everything must be razed to the ground, rasibus, and not the slightest evidence of my stay in Vincennes will remain for the future. And this is also why I am... that everyone, offices, municipal councils, leaders, put themselves in the way of the Maison de la France Extérieure, and will manage to stifle it, delay it, minimize it in such conditions, that there is no longer any interest or dignity for me in dealing with it. “Enough of Lyautey, we have had our fill”, that is the core of their thoughts . I fully accept this, and it is better to realize this clearly than to delude oneself. I found my books, memories, work and people here and that's the main thing. I will return to Paris on the 15th to announce my general liquidation. My wife is very touched by the memory of Madame Olivier whom she will be very happy to see again. I will be happy to meet you again and come and chat with you and ask you to find here, my dear Governor General and May, the assurance of my gratitude and my affectionate devotion. Lyautey. »

In 1927, Lyautey accepted the post of general commissioner of the International Colonial Exhibition which was held at the Porte Dorée in Paris in 1931. Helped by a handful of his elders, with Gérard de Launay as chief of staff, he succeeded in the trick of force to present reproductions of monuments from the five continents, such as the temples of Angkor, mosques, ksours, the house of George Washington, etc. and to keep its budget in balance thanks to the 33 million tickets sold

Marcel Olivier was governor general of Madagascar from February 20, 1924 to January 30, 1929. Under his leadership the Bank of Madagascar was created while investment by commercial companies was encouraged on the island. Finally, he launched major works, notably road construction. Back in mainland France, Olivier is responsible for assisting Lyautey in the organization of the International Colonial Exhibition. His experience in the colonies and this participation allowed him to obtain a good number of contacts in French political, administrative and industrial circles.