Pierre Dupuy

Pierre Dupuy   (diplomat)
Born	July 9, 1896 Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died	May 21, 1969 (Age 72) Cannes, France
Nationality	Canadian
Alma mater	Montreal University, Sorbonne
Children	• Michel Dupuy • Jacqueline
Spouse	Therese Ferron
Interests	Vichy France
Canadian diplomat who conducted delicate missions in Vichy France. Like his son, Michel Dupuy, a Bilderberger diplomat  Canadian Ambassador to France In office 1958 - 1963  Canadian Ambassador to Italy In office 1952 - 1958  Charge d'Affaires In office 1940 - November 1942 Location Vichy France Part of the secret diplomacy between Vichy and the Allies.

Pierre Dupuy was a Canadian diplomat and Bilderberger. His son was also a Bilderberger.

Diplomatic career

In 1922 he joined the department of External Affairs, working in Paris as secretary for the office of the then Canadian Commissioner General. When, in 1928, that office became a formal legation, he was promoted to second secretary and then, in 1938, to first secretary.

Vichy France

During World War II, Canada, unlike Britain, did not break off its diplomatic relations with the Vichy regime in France. The ambassador, Georges Vanier, fled to London, but technically he was still accredited with the French government. Dupuy became the chargé d'affaires for the Canadian legations for France, Belgium and the Netherlands. On 2 November 1940, the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax, asked the Canadian government to allow Dupuy to visit Vichy so as to "make an informal report on [the] present situation [there] which would be of considerable value". Mackenzie King, the Canadian prime minister, quickly agreed "in the hope that such a visit would aid in some measure in throwing light on the present uncertainty and in establishing more friendly relations between the Government of France and the British Commonwealth".

Dupuy thus visited France three times between November 1940 and August 1941, and reported back to the Allies. His reports (like the ones from his US counterparts) were generally optimistic regarding an rapprochement between the Allies and the Vichy government

He stayed on even after his superior, General Vanier, resigned, in May 1941, as minister to France out of "his increasing disgust with the Vichy regime". British Prime Minister Winston Churchill noted that he was deeply grateful for Dupuy's "magnificent work", adding that "the Canadian channel is invaluable and indeed, at the moment, our only line."

Dupuy gave a letter from Lord Halifax (then UK Foreign Secretary) and addressed to Pétain and contained the text of an Agreement made between Britain and Vichy France, to come into effect in December 1940. According to this Agreement, France would keep its fleet, keep its colonies but not attempt to get back the colonies "which had joined Britain". In exchange Britain would ease the blockade, and would allow French ships through the Straits of Gibraltar. Lord Halifax said in his letter: "Artificial tension must be maintained between us to safeguard article 9 of the Armistice." After the war, Churchill denied the existence of such a letter.

However, on November 9, 1942, after the Allied landings in North Africa, Canada finally severed relations with Vichy. Dupuy nevertheless stayed in London to represent Canada's interests with the Allied governments-in-exile. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1943.

Post-war career

In September 1944, he accompanied the Belgian government on its return to Brussels and, in January 1945, he was appointed minister to the Netherlands, where he worked until 1952. He then became Canada's ambassador to Italy until finally, in 1958, he was named ambassador to France, where he worked until his retirement in 1963.

In 1963, he was named Commissioner General of Expo 67. He was responsible for getting foreign nations to participate in the Expo. On April 27, 1967, Expo 67 opened on time and with the largest number of foreign nations participating in a World's Fair to that time: a testament to his persistence and skill as a diplomat and manager. Dupuy wrote a poem that was read at the opening by Laurence Olivier and Jean-Louis Barrault.

On December 22, 1967 he was appointed to the Order of Canada, being invested on April 24, 1968 as a companion of the order. In 1967, he received an honorary doctorate from Sir George Williams University, which later became Concordia University.

Jacques Chevalier was Vichy Minister of Education and Health, 1940-42; he said he was given a letter by the chargé d’affaires for the Canadian legations for France at the time, But behind that façade of misunderstanding we must get together.” Chevalier recalled that Winston Churchill described Pétain’s attitude [during the Occupation] as one of passive resistance to the Germans and that the Germans called Pétain “Marshal Nein” because he refused their demands. The judge stated that Churchill had denied that there was any such Agreement.

 

Events Participated in

Event	Start	End	Location(s)	Description
Bilderberg/1955 March	18 March 1955	20 March 1955	France Barbizon	The second Bilderberg meeting, held in France. Just 42 guests, fewer than any other.
Bilderberg/1956	11 May 1956	13 May 1956	Denmark Fredensborg	The 4th Bilderberg meeting, with 147 guests, in contrast to the generally smaller meetings of the 1950s. Has two Bilderberg meetings in the years before and after
Bilderberg/1957 October	4 October 1957	6 October 1957	Italy Fiuggi	The 6th Bilderberg meeting, the latest ever in the year and the first one in Italy.
Bilderberg/1960	28 May 1960	29 May 1960	Switzerland Bürgenstock	The 9th such meeting and the first one in Switzerland. 61 participants + 4 "in attendance". The meeting report contains a press statement, 4 sentences long.

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