16-hour days & meals “hurriedly swallowed”: Embassy staffing shortages August 1914 The duties of Embassy Paris multiplied exponentially in the first half of August 1914. In addition to representation of U.S. Government interests to the Government of France, the Embassy had to evacuate, shelter, feed, and issue emergency passports and identity papers for stranded U.S. ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 3 February, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
It took, French Ambassador to the US JJ Jusserand, three weeks to travel from Paris to Washington in August 1914 French Ambassador to the United States J.J. Jusserand was no stranger to America. Since 1902, he served as France’s envoy in Washington, D.C., and by 1914 was dean of the diplomatic corps. When war broke ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 31 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
The American Ambulance Hospital in Neuilly established & operated from Lycée Pasteur On August 9, 1914, the American Ambulance Hospital in Neuilly was established, a private hospital funded and staffed by U.S. volunteers to treat wounded soldiers from both sides of the conflict. Championed by Ambassador Myron T. Herrick, the American Ambulance Hospital was quickly ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 27 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
How to navigate Paris August 1914 w/out the métro, taxis, or private cars? Hire a horse chaise (fiacre)! One of the many ways war impacted daily life for all in Paris, including those within the U.S. diplomatic community, was transportation—or lack of it. The Paris Métro closed at 7:30pm to comply with the 8pm curfew ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 24 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
Paris at war August 1914: the Tour Eiffel guarded by barbed wire & guns; the Champs-Élysées darkened With France fully engaged in the war, life in and around Paris quickly changed. Much of the city’s bustling life abruptly halted as men mobilized and shipped off to the frontlines. In their place, wives, daughters, sisters, and ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 20 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
Ambassador Herrick procured lodging and security for Germans stranded in France early August at Lycée Condorcet France entered into a state of war with Germany at 6:45pm on August 3, 1914. That evening the German Ambassador to France, Baron Wilhelm von Schoen, departed the country. As previously arranged, responsibility to care for German subjects in ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 17 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
Stranded w/out money or shelter: thousands of American tourists descend on the embassy for help Thousands of Americans in Europe were stranded as the Continent passed from peace to belligerency within a week of July 28, 1914. The crisis was compounded by their inability to withdraw funds from French banks. Wealthy Americans were just as ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 13 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
Penniless in Paris! How to solve money matters; 300 francs in gold “insures plenty of good food” August 1914 Between July 28 and mid-August 1914, inability to access funds was a major problem for foreigners as French banks refused to cash traveler’s checks so as to retain currency and gold reserves. Thousands of tourists and ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 10 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
What would you do without your croissant? “No more fancy bread!” Food regulations & mobilization August 1914 Orders for general French mobilization were issued on Saturday August 1, 1914. On the evening of August 3, France entered into a state of war with Germany. Ambassador Myron T. Herrick telephoned René Viviani at the Quai d’Orsay ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 6 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
The outbreak of July 28-Aug 4 1914 took everyone by surprise – many diplomats were on home leave or en route to the U.S. At 5 pm on July 28, 1914, U.S. Ambassador to France Myron T. Herrick hosted a reception for a group of U.S. businessmen from the Chicago Railways Terminal Commission and the ...
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By U.S. Mission to France | 3 January, 2017 | Topics: History, U.S. & France | Tags: Centennial, WW1
