Spring 1945: Arthur and Léon investigate the .... "Lentil Affair"

The opening of Léon Roux's 19 March 1945 letter
to Commander Planas

    It seems that bureaucracy is universal.  

    I first came across the Lentil Affair (and oddly dramatic-sounding name for something that must have been incredibly irritating for the participants) when I was going through some correspondence in the Drôme Department archives that was to, from, or about my grandfather.

    After the liberation of the region of France where my grandparents lived, there were still wartime shortages of firewood, food, paper, and many other things.  And then with the dissolution of Maquis units all over France, came the problem of what to do with the men and women who had fought to free France from the Nazis. Some maquisards joined the French army, but many (my grandfather was one) demobilized. Grandpa was lucky enough to have a job waiting for him (he was tasked with organizing the rebuilding of the Valence area), but others did not.  And with no jobs, people got even less to eat.

    Captain Planas was put in charge of the Valence-area FFI Amicable Association, which I believe must have been similar to our Veterans Association. In other words, he helped ensure his former soldiers and their families had access to inexpensive food and firewood. I think it must have been like going to work for the VA.

    And that is how, in late 1944, the Lentil Affair got started, commencing a six-month-long ordeal that punished just about everyone involved:

LENTIL AFFAIR REPORT

     When the 4th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the Drôme was dissolved on September 20, 1944, it was agreed to establish among all - mobilized and demobilized - a veterans cooperative aimed at helping comrades in need, and facilitating better access to provisions for everyone.

     Lieutenant ROUX of Petits Robins, now demobilized, began searching throughout the Diois region for farmers willing to sell lentils, potatoes, apples, and other vegetables at fair prices for everyone.

     These negotiations were carried out openly, and a truck that we chartered, went to collect a load of lentils and apples, but in the meantime, the police took notice, and when the truck was on its way back, it was stopped by the police, and the goods were nearly confiscated.  Thanks to the personal intervention of Lt. ROUX, who was escorting the vehicle, the truck reached its destination safely.  

     Later, the farmers who had delivered the lentils were pursued by the Economic Control Office, a formal report was issued, and they were fined.  Once informed, Lt. ROUX phoned to notify us of the situation, and the Commander intervened with the police captain to have the legal actions stopped.

     He replied that the orders had come directly from the Ministry of the Interior, and that they were strict, but that it might still be possible to stop the matter by intervening with the Economic Control and General Supply Office, which we did, and I personally appealed to Superintendent FOLLET, and Former Intendant RAYMOND of the Maquis promised to intervene.

     However, around December 15, we were informed that the farmers were required to pay a fine before December 28. I again intervened with Superintendent FOLLET and Mr. DONNADIEU requesting that the prosecutions be suspended.  

     I thought the matter was settled, but about a week ago, we learned that the fine for each farmer had not been canceled, but had been reduced to 1,100 francs per farmer.

--Mr. Mammouth, date unknown, but probably early spring 1945.

    (Using all caps for last names is a convention used in French writing).

    From that, it looks like Léon Roux started buying food from local farmers in the fall of 1944. The following spring, he said this to Commander Planas:

Indeed, Lubinsky informed me that our 'lentil affair' was over. But I fear there has been another mistake, for the theater of operations was not Valdrôme; rather, it was Beaurières, or more exactly La Bâtie-Crémezin, a few kilometers away. But I will settle this question with Lubinsky.

-- Léon Roux, 19 March 1945

    Note: The misspelling of my grandfather's name (Lubinsky when it should have been Lubinski was a common mistake. For what it's worth, my family is Polish, and the suffix is spelled "-ski" in Poland.  They spell it "-sky" in Russia.

    Two days later, Mr. Roux sent a rather grouchy letter to my grandfather:

     Having been entrusted by Commander PLANAS with the unfortunate matter of the lentils purchased by the 4th Company’s Cooperative, I requested a report from MAMMOUTH, who previously dealt with the case. Please find the attached copy of this report.

     With this document, I visited Mr. FOLLET and Mr. DONNADIEU and there I was informed that the matter is settled and that the Mayor of VALDROME confirmed this in writing. Yet last Sunday you informed me that the lentils were not purchased in VALDROME but elsewhere, and that the fines were never reimbursed to the farmers.

    As for me, I deeply regret having become involved in this matter without having been properly briefed. Although this is unpleasant for me, I will resume inquiries as soon as you provide a clear and detailed account of the facts.

-- Léon Roux, 21 March 1945

    And finally two weeks later, Mr. Roux mentioned it a final time in another letter to my grandfather:

     Yes, Mr. Brun’s case was the only 'lentil affair'. He is the only one who received ... and paid!

-- Léon Roux, 4 April 1945

    Now, I have no idea who Mr. Brun is. Was he one of the farmers? Or was he an FFI member from one of the units based near Valence?  I'm guessing he was a farmer who sold lentils to the FFI cooperative, and that he received a citation and paid it. I can only hope that he was reimbursed for the fine, and that the Lentil Affair was genuinely over.