May-June 1946. - Lot 13

May-June 1946. A collection of letters and documents comprising 28 handwritten pages tracing the exchanges of a French family living in Haifong and the events leading up to the Indochina war between May and June 1946. Combining both personal information and historical events, the couple's correspondence reveals the stormy climate between the French, Vietnamese independence fighters and the Chinese in Indochina, in the unstable context preceding the war. Based in Haifong, the family recounts the events of their daily lives: the non-conforming presence of the Chinese in the city, assassinations, kidnappings, but also reconciliations and social receptions between soldiers and generals. These include General Valluy and Admiral George Thierry d'Argenlieu, key players in the early days of the Indochina War. These exchanges depict the troubled yet surprisingly calm atmosphere in Haiphong, a few months before the port was bombed on November 23, 1946, on Valluy's orders. This bombing marked the beginning of the war, followed by the famous Battle of Hanoi led by Ho Chi Minh from December 19, 1946. Dimensions: 38x25 and 19x25 cm. (Stains, slight tears and folds).