Discours Du 22 Juin 1941, Au Soir De L’Invasion De La Russie – “Tout Homme Ou Tout Etat Qui Se Bat Contre La Puissance Nazie Aura Notre Aide. Tout Homme Ou Tout Etat Qui Marche Avec Hitler Est Notre Ennemi” – “Any man or any state that fights against Nazi power will have our help. Any man or any state that sides with Hitler is our enemy” – 1941: Political Warfare Executive leaflet, French edition, June–August 1941 – Provenance – Robert Hastings – The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes

A scarce French-language wartime propaganda leaflet containing Winston Churchill’s historic broadcast of 22 June 1941, delivered on the evening of Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union.

Printed as a two-page leaflet (four pages when folded), measuring approximately 21.4 x 27.2 cm, the publication reproduces Churchill’s speech in which he announced Britain’s support for the Soviet Union following Operation Barbarossa. The opening declaration, prominently displayed across the front page, reads:

“Tout homme ou tout Etat qui se bat contre la puissance nazie aura notre aide. Tout homme ou tout Etat qui marche avec Hitler est notre ennemi.”

This broadcast marked one of the major turning points of the Second World War. Churchill, a lifelong opponent of Bolshevism, publicly declared that the Nazi invasion of Russia fundamentally altered the strategic landscape and that Britain would support any nation resisting Hitler. The speech became a foundational statement of what would develop into the Grand Alliance of Britain, the Soviet Union, and later the United States.

The present leaflet was produced for dissemination in occupied Europe by the British propaganda apparatus. The speech is recorded in the standard Churchill bibliography as Woods Alpha 21, and institutional catalogues identify it as a Political Warfare Executive pamphlet disseminated between late June and early August 1941.

Of particular significance is the provenance:

• From the collection of Robert Hastings, noted Churchill scholar, bibliographer and collector.
• Subsequently in The Churchill Collection of Steve Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine and one of the foremost private Churchill collectors of modern times.

Churchill material with direct Forbes provenance is increasingly sought after, particularly where the item itself is uncommon and clearly associated with wartime propaganda operations.

Institutional Holdings

Examples of this specific publication are recorded in major Churchill collections.

Known institutional holdings traced include:

• The Huntington Library, catalogued as “Churchill : discours du 22 juin 1941, au soir de l’invasion de la Russie”, Woods α21.
• Columbia University Rare Book & Manuscript Library, within the Sir Winston Churchill Papers, identified as Woods Alpha 21, described as a Political Warfare Executive pamphlet disseminated between 23/24 June and 6/7 August 1941.

The presence of institutional examples confirms the publication’s recognised place within the corpus of official Churchill wartime propaganda.

Condition: Near Fine. A notably superior copy. Clean, complete and unusually well preserved for a wartime propaganda leaflet printed on inexpensive paper stock intended for temporary use. Light age toning only. A significantly better copy than many institutional and market examples encountered.

Rarity: Scarce. While Churchill speeches survive in substantial numbers in English-language editions, French-language Political Warfare Executive issues intended for occupied Europe are considerably less common. Many were distributed clandestinely, discarded after reading, or destroyed during the war. Surviving examples in near fine condition with distinguished Churchill-collecting provenance are uncommon.

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