This evening

This evening was a daily newspaper of the evening created by the Communist party in 1937. It ceased appearing in 1953. Newspaper of general information, it organizes after the Libération tests cyclists. Thus in 1946, it creates the Ronde France, which wants to be prefiguration of a Tour de France without its organizers of pre-war period or their continuators.

1937 - 1939, the newspaper of the Popular front and the War of Spain

With an aim of competing with Paris-Evening , Maurice Thorez formula with the end of the year 1936 the project to create a daily newspaper appearing the evening. The origin of the funds having been used for launching of this body, officially independent, is discussed. Did the Spanish Republic, whose newspaper was made the vigilant defender, take part in the financing? The first number of the newspaper This evening leaves on March 1st, 1937. It is placed under the direction of two famous writers. One is known for its membership of the Communist party, Louis Aragon, the other Jean-Richard Bloch of it is very close sympathizing. It adheres to PCF in 1938, after the agreements of Munich. However the political newspaper does not want to be body of the party. Its editor association, Elie Richard was recruited for his “technical” competence: he worked before with Paris-Evening… the “economic” direction of the title is between the hands of Gaston Bensan. This one, “man of the shade”, accustomed publishers of the Party, administrator of the newspaper, in control only the funding sources which allow a pulling of starting of 100.000 specimens. If This evening never manages to reach pullings of Paris-Evening, it succeeds in finding an assistantship avid breaking news in end-of-day. In March 1939, pulling is of 250.000. Nonoverdrawn business, This evening owes its notoriety with the quality of his/her collaborators; Thus, the chief of the service of foreign politics is Paul Nizan, which also then carries out journalistic face activity and romantic writing to him. Pascal Pia is the chief of the service of general Information, until its departure for Algiers republican in August 1938. Among the professional journalists, one finds Rene Dunan, of Edith Thomas and Andrée Viollis, both specialized in large the investigation-reports. The Spanish conflict is covered by 18 journalists and reporters-photographers. The great names of the journalism of left follow one another to describe and illustrate the engagements, on the republican side: Edith Thomas, Andree Viollis, already quoted, Simone Téry, Louis Parrot, Stephan To handle, Georges Soria.

Special correspondents of This evening, of the photographers called to become famous make profit the daily newspaper from their stereotypes which now have value of files of the Spanish civil war:

Gerda Taro, which is killed on the face of Brunete in July 1937
Robert Capa, his/her companion, official photographer of This evening until the retirement of the republicans towards France, in 1939.
Chim, (David Seymour)
Mathieu Corman.

Regarded as close relation of the Communist party, the daily newspaper is prohibited on August 25th, 1939, at the same time as Humanity and the whole of the publications of this party, suspectées to support the Pact Germano-Soviet.

1944 - 1953: euphoria and decline of the newspaper

The daily newspaper reappears only on August 25th, 1944. Louis Aragon, organizer of the Resistance of the " Lettres" , of return to Paris at the end of September 1944 the " begins again some; direction" , which returns in the facts to Jean-Richard Bloch, when this one returns to France in January 1945. Jean-Richard Bloch passed the war to the USSR, where it was the voice of France on Radio-Moscow. At the end of 1946, it is elected with the Conseil of the Republic, new name of the Sénat, thus reinforcing the political weight of the daily newspaper of the evening. But he dies suddenly on March 15th, 1947. Aragon is then only director of This evening. It is assisted by one of his comrades of party, seasoned veteran of journalism, Fernand Fontenay. Flourishing to the Release, the ousting of the communist ministers and the beginnings of the cold war go to against current of the same reason of the existence of This evening. Moreover, This evening sees its administration twinned with that of Humanity in 1947: the two titles are joined together in the same building, 37 rue du Louvre in Paris. The daily newspaper, which lost its autonomy, is then taken in a spiral of decline which affects many titles born in Resistance, and in particular the communist press. March 2nd, 1953, it disappears. Coincidence…, Stalin dies a few days later. And it is with the literary journal the French Letters, from which it comes to take the direction that Aragon publishes the drawing of fire the dictator seen by Picasso, which starts a small politico-artistic business.

1945-1946: to compete with the Team ?

Just as the sporting service of Paris-Evening had launched out, under the direction of Gaston Bénac, in the organization of cycle races, by creating in 1932 the Grand Prix of the Nations, a race against-the-watch disputed in the valley of Chevreuse in Paris region, of the same This evening tried this challenge: to charm some market shares of the organization of the great tests cyclists. It formed part of the government scheme of PCF, aiming at being established in the sporting field. But it had the goal of the promotion of the title, which the " allows; sponsoring" (the word is not time) sporting. The Newspaper the Car is interdict of publication after the Release. However it is this daily newspaper which organized a great number of cycle races. In particular the Tour de France belonged to him since its creation in 1903. The operation for This evening does not aim anything less than to obtain public authorities the resumption of this test queen of the calendar, whereas the editor group of the Car is making appear the sporting daily newspaper the Team and on the point of taking again quasi the monopoly of the Car as an organizer of races. The chief of the service of the sports of This evening, Georges Pagnoud, which is at the same time the editor association of the sporting hebomadaire Miroir Sprint launches out in the company. It is helped in this task by a journalist, resulting from Paris-Evening, Albert Baker d' Isy. In this year 1946, it takes again temporarily the organization of the race Paris-Nice, continues the organization of a new test created the previous year, a one day race disputed in Paris region: the circuit of the Loops of the Seine.

This evening organizes its turn of France: the Round of France, 1946

Georges Pagnoud assembles especially a more ambitious test, the Round of France, miniature kind of Tour de France. Indeed, there exists an obstacle of size to the launching of true a Tour de France: the limitation, after the Release, of the cycle races at one duration maximum 5 days.

This evening, associated with Mirror Sprint and the daily newspaper Sports, that the Communist party launched in February 1946, organizes the new test from July 10th to 14th 1946 between Bordeaux and Grenoble, via Pau, Toulouse, Montpellier and Gap. Obviously located at the beautiful days of July, the closing date of this Ronde of France testifies to a will to anchor the sporting test in the French historical heritage. The course of the race however will not allow the development of French cycling, contrary to waitings of the organizers. Two French runners gain a stage, Raymond Louviot in Montpellier and Apo Lazaridès in Grenoble, at the end of an exploit, since it precedes his second of more than 8 minutes. However the 2 first with the final classification are Italian Giulio Bresci and Enzo Bertocchi, which started the French test after having disputed the Tour of Italy, where they sharpened to them " forme" physics. French makes a string of success starting from the third place: Edouard Fachleitner, Pierre Cogan, Apo Lazaridès… One month later, the race Monaco-Paris, already named " small round of France" , organized by the Team, finishes, it, on the French victory of Apo Lazaridès. No doubt, in addition to the organisational experiment of the successors of the Car, that the victory of Lazaridès, revelation of the year, in front of popular the Rene Vietto and Breton the Jean Robic, just like the course of the race, with bounces, consolidated the Team, with the eyes of the political authorities and sporting, in its vocation to be begun again in 1947 true the Tour de France. This evening, however continues to organize the Boucles of the Seine, in common with Humanity Sunday (after 1948), until the disappearance of the newspaper. But of international, in its first edition, the race limited to the French runners since 1946, never acquires the gloss of great classic. The destiny despite everything changed camp and allowed the perenniality of the test beyond the life of This evening: the winner of 1947 was a young Breton runner of the name of Louison Bobet… His notoriety growing as of the turn 1947 flashes back on the " Boucles" who disputed until 1973. Twenty years after the death of the newspaper.

This vocation cyclist of the newspaper This evening is often ignored. Also, in this year 1946 when these political antagonisms by sport interposed cyclist are exacerbated, a young journalist makes his beginnings with This evening. It is about Pierre Chany, author well later of " the fabulous adventure of the turn of France". Chany remains with the newspaper directed by Aragon until the end. In 1953, he is engaged by the Team. He is not the only journalist cyclist to know this course. Jacques Marchand also spends to him to the school of This evening before writing with the Team. In 1961, it is with him that returns the creation of the Tour of the Future, test intended to make meet the runners amateurs of the West and the East Europeans.

Sources

the daily newspaper of political information

Nicole Root, note " Louis Aragon" , biographical Dictionary, labor movement, social movement, 1940-1968 , Editions of the Workshop, 2005. (note on Romanian CD); note " Jean-Richard Bloch" , DBMOF, volume 19, Working Editions, 1983.
Eychart Baptist, " Jean-Richard Bloch, the war of Spain and This soir" , Annales" company Louis Aragon-Elsa Triplet , n° 1-1999.
François Eychart: conversation with Gaston Bensan , article in " Annales" company Louis Aragon-Elsa Triplet, n° 7-2005.
Alexandre Courban, " This evening, the second daily newspaper communiste" , in Xavier Vigna, Jean Vigreux, Serge Wolikow (to dir.), Bread, peace, freedom, experiments and territories of the popular front , Paris, social Editions, 2006.
François Maspero, shade of a photographer , Gerda Taro, Threshold, 2006.
François Fountain, the war of Spain, a flood of fire and image . BDIC/international Berg, 2003.

the organizer of tests cyclists

Serge Laget, Tour de France, 100 years, 1903-2003 , volume 1. 1940-1946, of the substitutes. Edition of the Team, 2002.
Pierre Lagrue, the Tour de France reflection of the history and the company . Editions Harmattan, Paris, 2004.
Mirror of cycling , encyclopedia, n° 299-1981.

Random links: