Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont (Strasbourg, May 14th 1914 - Paris, August 2nd 2006) was militant a Communiste which took share with the Résistance during the Second world war and a French politician. It had received with the general Leclerc and Henri Rol-Tanguy the rendering of von Choltitz with the Libération of Paris.

The Thirties and the war

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont was militant with the CGT and the Communist youths in 1936. Engaged in the fight Antifascist as of before the February 6th, 1934, it arrives at Paris with a diploma of right and works in an insurance company where he becomes trade union official. Taking part in the Popular front in 1936-38, it is constrained with clandestinity under Vichy, and meets Jean-Pierre Vernant and Pierre Herve with Toulouse. Decree first once, it escapes and takes an active share in the organization of the plain Mouvements of Resistance (WALL). Indeed, in 1942, Raymond Aubrac propose to him to organize the military branches of the movement Libération in southern zone. In spring 1944, with Pierre Villon and Jean de Voguë it is one of the three leaders of the committee of military action (COMAC) creates by the National council of resistance (CNR).

At the end of the conflict, it receives the August 25th 1944, with Henri Rol-Tanguy and the general Leclerc the rendering of the general von Choltitz, chief of the German garrison of Paris. In 1945, he is member of the Consultative Assembly, and directs Action , a newspaper in which one finds the signatures of Claude Roy, Vercors, Roger Vailland…

He is one of the essential wheels of the application of the program of the National council of Resistance, in particular for the foundation of the Social security at the sides of Pierre Laroque, Ambroise Croizat, Georges Buisson, Henri Raynaud, Maître Willard and of Francis Netter. He mobilizes himself to make recognize the principle of solidarity, which will take form with the ordinances of the October 4th and 19th 1945, the laws of May 22nd, of August 22nd and of October 30th, 1946.

He is elected appointed of Meurthe-et-Moselle in 1946, whereas he is always member of the Union progressist. Moreover, he is vice-president of the High Court of justice (France) (1946) which judges the leaders Collaborationnistes. Maurice Thorez then proposes to him to become an elected official of the PCF, which makes 28,6% of the voices then. Kriegel-Valrimont accepts the proposal, integrates the central committee in 1947, and thus remains appointed communist of Meurthe-et-Moselle until 1958. It becomes in load of the Press Office of PCF until the end of the years 1950. This one chapeaute then Humanity (500 000 specimens), This Evening and of the regional newspapers (while SFIO holds Popular the ). It also forms part of the Mouvement of peace, where it côtoie in particular Laurent Casanova.

Complex relationship with PCF

Andre Marty and Charles Tillon is excluded from the direction of PCF in 1952; Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont votes their exclusion then. He will write in his Memories: “When I put myself questions about my life, it is the only point where I am not excuses. ” The relationship with the direction of the party however tightens after the XXème Congress of the PCUS (1956). Whereas the direction of PCF denies initially the existence of the Rapport Khrouchtchev denouncing the crimes of the Stalinisme and the Culte of the personality, Maurice Kriegel, on the sides of Laurent Casanova or Marcel Servin supports the Déstalinisation. He is then isolated, the fascinating Central committee pretext of his refusal to affirm that de Gaulle would be aligned on the Impérialisme states-unien. With Servin and Casanova, it is then officially marked of members of a splinter group activities (and semi-officially of khrouchtchevism): one definitively excludes it from the direction of the party in May 1961, at the time of the XVIe Congrès of PCF.

Others

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont was the father of the president of the High council to integration Blandine Kriegel, the father-in-law of the journalist Alexandre Adler and the brother-in-law of the historian Annie Kriegel.

Grand Cross of the Legion of honor, he was also member of the committee of national honor of ANACR (National association of the War veterans of Resistance).

It was buried with the Cimetière of Montparnasse (the 10th division, in edge of the principal alley).

In September 2006, the Council of Paris decides, answering the wish elected officials communist aiming at allotting to a place or a street of Paris the name of Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont, to give his name to the public garden of Clignancourt, located in the 18th district, where he lived with the n° 15. The public garden Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont is inaugurated by Bertrand Delanoë, mayor of Paris, on August 24th, 2007, in the presence of many personalities.

Random links: