Léon Bérard

During his time as Senator, he was called upon by Édouard Daladier in early February 1939 to travel to Burgos, then under control of the Spanish Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, which was drawing to its conclusion and Nationalist victory, to secure a treaty with Francoist Spain.

France had previously provided tentative support to the Spanish Republicans, but was now forced to make deals with the soon to be victorious Nationalist government on the question of refugees from the Catalonia region.

[2] The resulting treaty, the Bérard-Jordana Agreement, was signed on 25 February 1939 and signalled French recognition of the Francoist government in Spain.

[5] Bérard was strongly opposed to Esperanto, which he considered an instrument of Internationalism and a potential rival of French as a diplomatic language.

[6] As Minister of Public Instruction, he banned the teaching or the promotion of Esperanto in public schools, and he had a prominent role in the rejection by the League of Nations of a resolution in favor of the adoption of Esperanto as an auxiliary international language.