Paul Ély
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2014) |
Paul Ely | |
---|---|
Salonica, Greece | |
Died | 16 January 1975 Paris, France[1] | (aged 77)
Allegiance | France |
Service/ | French Army |
Years of service | 1919-1961 |
Battles/wars | World War II First Indochina War |
Paul Henri Romuald Ély (17 December 1897 – 16 January 1975) was a French General and former Chief of the Defence Staff.
Early life and education
He was the son of Henri Ely, a civil servant and Therese (née Coste). He attended the Lycée de Best.
Army career
Ely attended the
Indochina
Ely was appointed as the first Chief of the Defence Staff and served in this role from August 1953 to June 1954.
From 20 to 26 March 1954, Ely visited
On 4 April Ely cabled Gen.
Ely was appointed as commander in chief in Indochina on 2 June 1954 to replace General
On 28 June after discussions in Paris with new Prime Minister
On 13 December Ely and US Ambassador J. Lawton Collins reached an "understanding on development and training of autonomous Viet-Nam forces." Under the agreement, Military Assistance Advisory Group would assume full responsibility for organizing and training the South Vietnamese military while still recognizing the overall French military authority. The French were to grant "full autonomy" to the South Vietnamese armed forces by 1 July 1955. The Americans and French did not consult with the Vietnamese while setting up the agreement.[3]: 187
In a meeting in Paris on 18 December 1954 with Prime Minister Mendès-France and Anthony Eden, the British foreign secretary, Ely expressed his views of South Vietnamese premier Ngo Dinh Diem as an "extremely pig-headed man who became more so under pressure" and that he and Collins "were now virtually convinced that it was hopeless to expect anything of Diem."[3]: 188
Ely left South Vietnam at the end of May 1955.[3]: 203
Post Indochina
Ely was reappointed as Chief of Staff in March 1956. Ely was sympathetic to the putschists during the May 1958 crisis in France and on 16 May 1958 submitted his resignation which was accepted the next day.[4]
Ely was reappointed as Chief of Staff in June 1958 after Charles de Gaulle assumed power and established the Fifth Republic. In July 1958 at de Gaulle's instigation he purged the army of some of the extremist elements who had led the May revolt.[4]: 437
Ely retired from the Army in 1961.
Later life
Ely died on 16 January 1975.
Notes
- ^ Tucker, Spencer C. (2011). "Ély, Paul Henri Romuald". In Tucker, Spencer C. (ed.). The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. ABC-CLIO. pp. 342–343.
- ISBN 9780857282354.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Williams, Kenneth (2019). The US Air Force in Southeast Asia and the Vietnam War A Narrative Chronology Volume I: The Early Years through 1959 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ ISBN 9781847394101.