Reply With QuoteI can tell you it's an anonymous letter to denounce someone.
I'll translate that for you
Req: French translation
Came across this text cleaning up drawers. Got this one from Paris onver year ago, with an old ID (Carte D´Identite).
Markings were there already so not done by me.
I can tell you it's an anonymous letter to denounce someone.
I'll translate that for you
I think you're over your head there. Run, the German special agents lead by the infamous Ober-Directeur Macs are coming for you.
I have a very strange feeling reading this... That's one helluva document.
i get the general meaning of this, but i'd better not be the one to translate it. i leave this to naitive french speakers.
"Besancon, july the 18th 1942
Mister the "Receveur Principal", (some kind of director or manager.)
Please excuse me to remain anonymous, I don't want to be in trouble with my immediate superior that I work with everyday. It's M. Lefèvre who is a "contrôleur".
The day before yesterday in the afternoon around 5pm, when your were absent from the office, he brought a lady with promiscuous behavior, a german jewess, that we all know to be his mistress.
This lady stayed for about an hour in the office, where they took a walk around the department.
Those activities happen a lot when mister Lefèvre is on the night shift.
My conscience and my co worker's consciences are revolted by this lack of pudor from a superior, who is also, everyone knows it, a germanophile and a lot of us think that he might be a german Intelligence agent.
I hope, monsieur le Receveur Principal, that you will soon stop those revolting activities, Yours respectfully."
That's about it. There might be some mistakes, tell me if there is anything you don't understand.
I was half way through my translation but Frenchdude finished it before me.
Very interesting letter, you happen to be related to someone who was a member of La Résistance?
Sorry about that.Originally Posted by ubermensche
I was half way through my translation but Frenchdude finished it before me.
Very interesting letter, you happen to be related to someone who was a member of La Résistance?
About the letter, it can be a lot of things, during the war there were lots and lots of anonymous letters.
^lol don't worry about beating me.
The letter is still intriguing though...
As you said, "Receveur Principal" is a kind of manager in the Public Services. Post Office, Tax Office or Customs come to my mind.
Many thanks gentlemen. Quite interesting piece of text. Shame that it´s all there is.
Yeah i checked the word but the position exists in a lot of public services. My best guess would be the post office or a tax office as you said.
that's indeed interesting, can you show the old ID card ? Might be able to find something with a name.
BTW how did you get this ?
Sorry, took some time as I had to take pics of the ID and upload it. Here are the cover and the inside with pic and info.
I got the letter and ID from a big open air second hand market in Paris. Although the letter and ID were folded together, I think there´s a good possibility that they have nothing in common as the ID seems to be from different area. The ID seems to be from 1939 so of course the holder of it might have moved after that to be in Besancon by 1942 but as you can see, he would be 73 years old by then and prolly not working in the office of any kind.
Ok this guy is from a noble family from Boury en Vexin (funny, i went there once as a kid). The family name is Zentz d'alnois. Raoul Zentz d'Alnois died apparently in 1943 from oldness. He was a "chef d'escadron" in the cavalry, probably during WWI.
The descendant of this raoul guy still owns the castle. It's been in their family since 1829.
source:http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teau_de_Boury
Last edited by Frenchdude; 08-22-2012 at 09:33 AM.
Whoa, that´s very cool information. Many thanks for the detective work.
Since I think I can´t change my picture in the ID and claim to be him (and own the family estate), maybe I should sent them the ID?
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