GAULLE Charles de. 3 L. A. S. ("Ton Papa", "C." and "C.G."), 2 and 21 February and 16 March 1956, to his son Lieutenant Philippe de GAULLE; 2, 4 and 2 pages in-8 on General de Gaulle letterhead. On the political and moral situation and on his Mémoires de guerre. February 2nd. "You wouldn't believe how happy and proud I was to see you on the competition board for the rosette. Henriette had warned us about it. I had the list sent over and I see that you are the only lieutenant among so many frigates and corvettes. It's proof 9 by 9 of your war services and your naval flights. In all respects you are now launched from the point of view of your career and your reputation. I don't need to recommend you to work for the next exam. But I see you at the very top of your generation. We are following in your footsteps on your current cruise"... 21 February. "Little by little, signs are appearing of a slight change in the state of mind of the French masses with regard to French affairs. Among some, there is now a frank excitement. Among most, there is less indifference and abandonment than a few months ago: I myself am receiving increasing evidence of this. This is not stopping me, for the moment, from working hard on my Memoirs, of which I am in the process of writing the 8th and final chapter of Volume 2 (Unity). Mum and I and perhaps Elisabeth are planning to go to Toulon for little Charles's first private communion. [...] It has been very cold here for a month now, very hard and very tenacious. I have never seen such a prolonged and bitter cold in France: there is a lot of damage, especially in the south (olive trees, orange trees, flowers, vegetables). Philomène and Louise are feeding the birds at La Boisserie, which need it most. 16th March. "As you know, your mother and I, accompanied by Elisabeth, went to Toulon for little Charles' first private communion. We found Henriette and your three children in very good health and were delighted to see them again. [...] I am thinking of you, who must still be perplexed about your return and in the tension of the preparatory work. The more inconvenient things are, the more you have to control yourself. The atmosphere in Paris is sombre. It feels like a kind of gestation period. But I'm afraid it will only blossom when there's a catastrophe (a general revolt in Africa)"... LNC, II, p. 1202, 1205 and 1206.