GENERAL PIERRE FAY - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 05/12/1953 - HFSID 214773

PIERRE FAY
Commander of the French Air Force during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
Typed Letter signed: "P. Fay" as Chief of Staff, Allied Air Forces, Central Europe, 1p, 8¼x10½. No place, 1953 May 12. On official letterhead to Eddie Sousa, Livermore, California. In full: "I enclose an autographed personal photograph [not included], to be added to your private collection. It is a genuine pleasure for me to grant you the request. I appreciate how much this small favor means to you and wish you every success in your collection endeavor. I must also add my sincere wishes to you and your wife for a complete and permanent recovery from your recent illness. Yours truly". When this letter was written, France was still a full participant in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, from which President Charles de Gaulle later partly withdrew that nation a decade later. In that capacity, French General Fay served in an important post in the integrated NATO military command. Three months after this letter was written, General Fay became commanding general of the French Air Force (1953-1955). In that capacity, Fay played an important role in French decision making in the final phase of its Indochina War (1946-1954). When France's adversary, the communist Viet Minh, astonished the French Army by carrying heavy artillery over the mountains to assault the French garrison of Dien Bien Phu in Laos, the French air force could not project sufficient power to protect the isolated fortress. France asked the US to commit its air force to the defense of Dien Bien Phu. After President Eisenhower refused this request, Dien Bien Phu fell, triggering French withdrawl from Indochina and the partition of Vietnam. Slightly soiled. Mounting adhesive remnants show through lightly near edges. Otherwise, fine condition.