GAULLE Charles de. 2 L. A. S. (the 1st "Ton Papa"), 4 October and 9 November 1953, to his son Lieutenant Philippe de Gaulle (in Oran); 2 and 3 pages in-8 headed Le Général de Gaulle. Tour of the Indian Ocean. 4th October. "Before leaving - with your mother - for the planned tour of the Indian Ocean, I send you, Henriette and your little boys all my deepest affections. This trip is a kind of duty for me. Having once fought hard for the territories in question, I owe them a friendly visit". He was delighted to see the whole family this summer... " May your flotilla give you every satisfaction in your second year of command! As for general affairs, I don't think we can expect much good to come out of them just yet. But a lot is going on beneath the surface and appearances"... 9 November. "I follow you in my thoughts as you carry out your various manoeuvres. It is certain, from what I see, that your command will have been as fulfilled as possible. My paternal pride concludes that you have been given an unusual role because we know you are capable of fulfilling it. But my concern is that the ordeal should slow down. Your Mum and I hope to see you during your stay in Hyères. I was very pleased to hear about little Charles' excellent start in his class. Here he is at the head of the class, even though he is the youngest. He's got a lot of self-esteem, so he's very happy that he's off to a brilliant start. The trip to the Indian Ocean went very well. There was great enthusiasm everywhere and from everyone, French and locals alike. From a general point of view, the French realities are brilliant, although rather disjointed, due to the lack of a government in Paris. From a military point of view, the positions are magnificent: Madagascar, the Comoros, Réunion, Djibouti. The people are of good quality. What is lacking is equipment, armament and a plan. Admiral Barjot, who accompanied me to Réunion, Diego and Somalia, confirmed in my mind the idea I had of him. He is undoubtedly a capable, resourceful, hard-working leader who is capable of great command"... LNC, II, p. 1129 and 1131.