Philippe Berthelot

Born in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, in his later life he entered the French diplomatic service in 1889 and joined the foreign office in 1904.

In a letter to his wife from the Wotlrld War I front, Henri Barbusse wrote on 30 May 1915: "Yesterday, journalists came to our trench, accompanied by Philippe Berthelot, a senior Foreign Ministry official.

Soldiers here regard this king of trench tourists with irony, one can say - with contempt".

After a violent campaign of far-right leagues, he was forced to step aside from 1922 to 1925 because of his involvement in the scandal opposing the Banque Industrielle de Chine, controlled by his brother, and the Banque d'Indochine, linked to Paul Doumer, who was supported by the extreme right.

He was friends with and helped the diplomatic careers of Paul Claudel and Saint-John Perse.

Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu-Martin , Philippe Berthelot and Wilhelm von Schoen . Baron von Schoen reads to M. Bienvenu-Martin, who is assuring interim [ clarification needed ] for Foreign Affairs, a communication from his government backing Austria and declaring that if the conflict does not remain localised, "the most serious consequences" are to be feared.