On December 16, at Artcurial in Paris, a remarkable auction featured 372 personal items once owned by General Charles de Gaulle, later passed down to his son, Admiral Philippe de Gaulle. Among these treasures, a notebook from 1940, initially estimated at €30,000, sold for an impressive €80,000.
This notebook, containing 60 pages of blue and black ink annotations, is a rare glimpse into de Gaulle's thoughts during a tumultuous time in history. It includes dated notes such as 'Wednesday, March 27' and 'June 9, London,' along with addresses, phone numbers, train schedules, and even code names. Some entries reveal his frustrations, like 'Reinforcements are not arriving. Why?' and 'There are pilots in France without planes; they could be sent to England where there are planes without pilots.'
This almost unique piece of history, with one page previously reproduced in his son’s book, 'De Gaulle, Mon Père,' ignited fierce competition among bidders. Despite the packed auction room, the bidding took place over the phone, culminating in a heated battle between two buyers that ended with the notebook's sale for €80,000.