Pierre Dupuy (diplomat)
| Pierre Dupuy | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Pierre Dupuy (c.) in conversation with Dwight D. Eisenhower and Brooke Claxton (1951)
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| Commissioner General Expo 67 | |
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In office 1963–1968 |
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| Preceded by | Paul Bienvenue |
| Succeeded by | none |
| Constituency | Expo 67 |
| Canadian Ambassador to France | |
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In office 1958–1963 |
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| Preceded by | Jean Désy |
| Succeeded by | Jules Léger |
| Canadian Ambassador to Italy | |
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In office 1952–1958 |
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| Preceded by | Jean Désy |
| Succeeded by | Léon Mayrand |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 9, 1896 Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | May 21, 1969 (aged 72) Cannes, France |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Spouse(s) | Therese Ferron (m. 1921) |
| Children | Michel, Jacqueline |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Pierre Dupuy, CC (July 9, 1896 – May 21, 1969) was a Canadian diplomat and writer. His most noted achievement was as the Commissioner General of Expo 67.
Dupuy was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1896. He studied law and international law at the Université de Montréal and at the Sorbonne in Paris.
In 1922 he joined the department of External Affairs, working in Paris as secretary for the office of the then Canadian Commissioner General. When, in 1928, that office became a formal legation, he was promoted to second secretary and then, in 1938, to first secretary.
During World War II, Canada, unlike Britain, did not break off its diplomatic relations with the Vichy regime in France. The ambassador, Georges Vanier, fled to London, but technically he was still accredited with the French government. Dupuy became the chargé d'affaires for the Canadian legations for France, Belgium and the Netherlands. On 2 November 1940, the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Halifax, asked the Canadian government to allow Dupuy to visit Vichy so as to "make an informal report on [the] present situation [there] which would be of considerable value". Mackenzie King, the Canadian prime minister, quickly agreed "in the hope that such a visit would aid in some measure in throwing light on the present uncertainty and in establishing more friendly relations between the Government of France and the British Commonwealth".
Dupuy thus visited France three times between November 1940 and August 1941, and reported back to the Allies. He stayed on even after his superior, General Vanier, resigned, in May 1941, as minister to France out of "his increasing disgust with the Vichy regime". British Prime Minister Winston Churchill noted that he was deeply grateful for Dupuy's "magnificent work", adding that "the Canadian channel is invaluable and indeed, at the moment, our only line." However, on November 9, 1942, after the Allied landings in North Africa, Canada finally severed relations with Vichy. Dupuy nevertheless stayed in London to represent Canada's interests with the Allied governments-in-exile.
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