SARTRE (Jean-Paul). - Lot 288

SARTRE (Jean-Paul). Born in Paris. 1905–1980. Philosopher, writer, and playwright. Autograph manuscript. No place, no date. 1 page, in-4, on graph paper. Some philosophical reflections on the Indochina War and the Henri Martin affair: ...the Indochina War as seen through Martin (...). It should be noted that he did nothing for them: he distributed leaflets. He didn’t sabotage anything. And even if he had, it wouldn’t have benefited them. (...) What’s troubling is that they give their admiration and love to an enemy soldier. Do you think we would have done the same during World War I toward a German soldier? No: there was no real hatred. If we had wanted brotherhood, we could have had it...A young Communist activist who volunteered for the navy, Henri Martin was sent to Indochina in 1945, from which he returned convinced that the objective was not the fight against the Japanese occupiers but against the Indochinese who wished to free themselves from the French presence. Upon his return to Toulon, he distributed leaflets calling for an end to hostilities. Initially and unjustly accused of sabotage, he was ultimately sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for demoralizing the army. In late 1953, Sartre published a book titled *The Henri Martin Affair*.