| Part ofWorld War II | |
 General de Gaulle addressing the citizens of Bayeux on June 14, 1944 | |
| Date | June 14, 1944 |
|---|---|
| Location | Bayeux,France |
| Participants | Charles de Gaulle |
| Outcome | Strengthened the legitimacy of theProvisional Government of the French Republic and countered American plans for French administration |
TheFirst Bayeux Speech was a speech delivered by GeneralCharles de Gaulle of France in the context ofliberation after theNormandy landings in June 1944.
A few days after theNormandy landings,General Charles de Gaulle sought to symbolically meet the French people in one of the first towns liberated. He also aimed to counter the American intentions to establish their own administration in France in the form of theAllied Military Government for Occupied Territories (AMGOT), a branch of which had been specifically preparedto govern France and had started circulatinga currency based on the dollar in liberated France.
AfterD-Day, De Gaulle was anxious to get to French soil. Churchill agreed, allowing De Gaulle to visitBayeux, with a population of 15,000 the biggest French town liberated so far. This was seen as the first big test of De Gaulle's popularity in France, with the anti-Gaullist President Roosevelt speculating that De Gaulle would "crumble" and the British would be forced to withdraw support.[1]
De Gaulle came to Normandy on the Free French destroyerLa Combattante in a delegation that includedFrançois Coulet, who had been appointedCommissioner of the Republic for Normandy. The delegation also carried a 250-million franc treasure to counter introduction of theUS occupation franc. One of the most famous photographs of De Gaulle was taken aboard during the journey,[2] before he landed betweenCourseulles andGraye-sur-Mer.[3]
After landing on the coast part of the party went ahead to Bayeux while De Gaulle went to the headquarters ofGeneral Montgomery before going to Bayeux and meeting local dignitaries, many of whom had been Petainists.[1]
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De Gaulle was not supposed to have any meetings in Bayeux but he would be allowed to be seen,[1] but De Gaulle decided to make a speech in the town[4] in which he proclaimed Bayeux the capital ofFree France. He also appointed his Chef de Cabinet,François Coulet as aCommissioner of the Republic, who through being an efficient administrator who was useful to the allies.[5] This set a precedent for theProvisional Government run by De Gaulle to appoint French administrators loyal to De Gaulle in French territory liberated by the allies.
After the speech, he traveled to theUnited States for the first time. His visit included meetings with French scientists working on theManhattan Project as well asFranklin D. Roosevelt.
The enthusiastic reception from the population confirmed his popularity in France,[1] which discouraged the United States from placing France under their administration. TheProvisional Government of the French Republic, officially formed on June 3, 1944 inAlgiers, the capital ofFrench Algeria, under De Gaulle’s leadership as the successor to theFrench Committee of National Liberation, was thus able to establish itself inParis after theliberation of the capital and assume effective leadership of the country.
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