The Breton Hour

the Breton Hour is a Breton nationalist weekly newspaper which appears in broadsheeted format of June 1940 in June 1944.

Origin

In July 1940, with the Congress of Pontivy, François Debeauvais and Olier Mordrel create the Breton National committee. They decide also the edition of a weekly newspaper the Breton Hour . The first number is symbolically dated from the July 14th 1940.

Existence

201 numbers will appear between July 1940 and June 1944.
Editor association:

Morvan Lebesque (for 2 months). It will be always denied this short period by asserting “ its naivety and by ensuring that it left as soon as he realized inclinations pro-allemandes of the newspaper ” and nothing makes it possible to doubt its bona fide. If it is not that he will be writer of " thereafter; I am " everywhere;.
Jean Merrien (until the ousting of Olier Mordrel of the head of the Breton National Left, and of the direction of the newspaper)
Job Jaffré as from December 1940).

This newspaper is published with Rennes by the Breton National committee. It is in fact the continuity of Breiz Atao .

In August 1940, some nationalists selling the Breton Hour are stopped with Quimper (Angéli, prefect of Finistere on several occasions pronounces prohibition to sell this newspaper in the Finistere). - But, last this annoying incident, any door to believe that the German authorities did not have to complain about the leading line of this newspaper, which will appear in all legality until June 4th, 1944, by vilifying the Jews, the Jacobins and French in general, in the name of the defense of a " race bretonne" (according to the expression of moderate Delaporte), and the " Europe nouvelle" Aryan which was built then.

Interpretation

Pusieurs interpretations exist on this newspaper, there is shown to be a relay of propaganda Antisémite by those which want to retain only some indeed xenophobe articles against the Jewish population. For others, the consultation of these newspapers especially emphasizes an intransigent independence line and a dispute growing with regard to Vichy. It appears clearly that the Breton Hour is relatively not very ideological with the direction or it does not diffuse a coherent ideological rhetoric, in spite of its solidarity with regard to Germany resulting in weekly articles reporting the exploits of Wehrmacht into Russia. The main themes approached by the newspaper are the history of Brittany from a Breton nationalist point of view, the misdeeds of the policy of Vichy (in particular have regard to the difficulties of supply), an extreme and obsessional anglophobia beside which ten articles anti-semites is published non-existent, international merits of the Axis, but especially Breton daily reality through articles treating of the farming community, the craft industry, a vestimentary fashion " bretonne" modern, etc the newspaper takes to a care particular to not froisser the German occupant. However the leading line constantly hesitates to defend in a clear way Germany: one can thus read slogans such as " neither French, nor German, Breton only! " on first page, then an article giving to Reich the role of " defender of the occident". This feature is first of all reinforced as the military reversal is specified with the east and or the perception of the conflict, " international" , i.e. between historical nations, transfers itself in ideological all-out war or of the conflict the loser will be destroyed.

The consultation is possible besides near the Breton departmental records and can inform the reader on the reality of the contents.

“With the door enjuivés Jews and” the

“With the door the enjuivés Jews and” the , it is what Job Jaffré, director of the Breton Hour , publishes the shortly after the raid of Vel d' Hiv of the 16 and July 17th 1942, in One of the Breton Hour of the July 18th 1942. In the same vein, it will publish for example under its pseudonym of Tug (see the book of Jean Malo-Renault on the Breton pseudonyms) in April 1943 a denunciation of the bombardments of “the youtre-Atlantic” (n° 142), and it awaits in October 1943 a “inversion of alliance (…) when the Jewish problem is eliminated” (n° 171, with its signature St K. )

One finds Job Jaffré in photograph as writer of the Breizh review, published by Kendalc' H, questioning Per Roy, in number 241, in 1979. In this same number 241, Good sheets of the book of Anna Debauvais, tell the death of the Breton nationalist chief François Debauvais.

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