History - France-Amérique

23 mai 1943
25 août 1944
22 avril 1945
After The War
Années 1960
23 mai 1993
11 septembre 2001
2005
2015 à aujourd’hui

May 23, 1943

A Newspaper Born of the French Resistance

Founded by members of the French community exiled in New York City, France-Amérique was designed to raise awareness of the French cause among the American public and to support the Resistance effort organized by Charles de Gaulle. Its first issue on May 23, 1943, featured a telegram from General de Gaulle himself :

“I wish France-Amérique the best of luck. STOP. I am sure your newspaper will show our American friends the abilities and objectives of France. STOP. In doing so, it will reinforce the friendship between our two countries, which is indispensable to victory and rebuilding the world.”

August 25, 1944

News of the Liberation

With the city of Paris freed from Nazi control, France-Amérique used the front page of its September 6, 1944 issue to congratulate the architects of the Liberation – De Gaulle, Churchill, Patton – and to personally thank the U.S. Army: “The world breathes a sigh of relief. Thank you to the doughboys!”

April 22, 1945

An Homage to the President

Featured on the front page of France-Amérique, Jean-Paul Sartre paid homage to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died on April 12, 1945, and recounted his interview with the 32nd president of the United States a few weeks before. “Without my even noticing, he had embodied for me the freedom of America,” wrote the philosopher.

After the War

A Time of Great Writers

In the aftermath of World War II, France-Amérique reported on the reconstruction effort, the birth of the United Nations, and the solidification of French-American friendship in the context of the Cold War. The newspaper reflected French contemporary thought by inviting intellectuals visiting or living in the United States to become guest columnists. These illustrious figures included Paul Claudel, Joseph Kessel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir, who wrote a long feature on the “Poetry of the Far West” for France-Amérique in 1947.

The 1960s

The American Edition of Le Figaro

France-Amérique became the “international edition” of French newspaper Le Figaro in the 1960s. Every week, readers were presented with news from France and across the world, along with a selection of articles on the French community in the United States. In return, the journalists at France-Amérique contributed to the American section of Le Figaro. This winning partnership continued until the mid-2000s.

May 23, 1993

France-Amérique Turns 50

The fiftieth anniversary of France-Amérique, in the words of the publication director, was “an event […] and a symbol of the continuity of French presence in the United States.”

September 11, 2001

On the Ground in Manhattan

Following the attacks on the World Trade Center, journalists from France-Amérique were in the field covering the reconstruction of Ground Zero.

2005

A French-American Magazine

Driven by American businessman and passionate Francophile Louis Kyle, France-Amérique got a modern overhaul. The newspaper shifted to a magazine format with glossy paper and unique sections on French gastronomy and art de vivre. Every month, the front cover would showcase a French cultural icon making waves in America, including Marion Cotillard, Isabelle Huppert, Jane Birkin, Agnès Varda, Jean Dujardin, and Daniel Boulud.

May 2015

France-Amérique, a New Identity

In May 2015, France-Amérique became the first bilingual French-English magazine published in the United States. Directed for a time by French-American essayist Guy Sorman. The magazine offers Francophiles in North America “the best of French culture” and is continuing to develop. The paper quality has improved, photography plays a more central role, and the illustration of the front covers has been handed over to artists Olivier Tallec, Léa Morichon, and most recently Thomas Hayman.