As you all know, Jean Monnet was son of a cognac entrepreneur who later became a top civil servant in France and at the League of Nations. In 1952, he became the first president of the European Coal and Steel Community, from which the present European Union has developed. During most of the Second World War Monnet worked in the U.S.
He was involved in many international diplomatic operations during the war, with the confident backing of President Roosevelt. I just want to mention two episodes in Monnet’s career. First I shall relate a historical episode from Monnet’s wartime activities, which starts his memoirs. In June 1940, the French government was wavering between continuing the war and ceasing hostilities.