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Chapter 4 - Writing in Wartime

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2024

Emmanuel Destenay
Affiliation:
Sorbonne University
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Summary

Not only money crossed the ocean: letters between the French orphans and their benefactors went in each direction across the Atlantic. The correspondence between France’s orphans supported through the FCFS and their American benefactors revealed both the power of the connection and the power dynamic between the recipients and the “godparents.” Letters from the fatherless children of France told of the moral and psychological support that accompanied the financial assistance that sponsorships provided. And while it seems that the correspondence helped open an ocean of hope and fostered the conviction that France was not alone in its fight against Germany, the letters from France also reflected the power dynamic of the sponsorship: those in need had to keep the assistance coming. The letters also show the FCFS at work: the instructions to the recipients of aid as to how they were to communicate with donors; the typed transcription and translations of the letters, most likely carried out by women in the Paris and New York offices; and the messaging to the benefactors, who were reminded that mothers needed money, but children cared more for the attention from a far-away friend.

Type
Chapter
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America's French Orphans
Mobilization, Humanitarianism, and the Protection of France, 1914–1921
, pp. 118 - 140
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Writing in Wartime
  • Emmanuel Destenay, Sorbonne University
  • Book: America's French Orphans
  • Online publication: 24 October 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009517904.008
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  • Writing in Wartime
  • Emmanuel Destenay, Sorbonne University
  • Book: America's French Orphans
  • Online publication: 24 October 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009517904.008
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Writing in Wartime
  • Emmanuel Destenay, Sorbonne University
  • Book: America's French Orphans
  • Online publication: 24 October 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009517904.008
Available formats
×