“The object of this book is to offer a personal account and to reveal the reality of the events it reflects in the period from 1940 to the present. I had the opportunity of participating in the Liberation and reconstruction of France; of experiencing some of the consequences of war, in the Far East and in the United States; of facing some of Algeria’s difficulties; but also of contributing to the creation of the BNP [Banque Nationale Populaire]. All of these occasions enabled me to be present at the unfolding of part of our history and of filling a useful position, and also of learning useful lessons and of acquiring greater understanding. The historical value of these teachings deserves to be shared.”

Pierre Ledoux, a tax inspector, was a member of the French financial mission to the Far East at the time of the Chinese Revolution. A former financial attaché in the French Embassy in Washington, he took part in implementing the Marshall Plan, before entering a banking career, with the Banque Nationale pour le Commerce et l’Industrie (BNCI), first as secretary general, later as managing director for Africa, and finally as chairman and managing director in Paris. After the merger in 1966 of the BNCI and CNEP, resulting in the creation of the BNP, he became its managing director and later chairman, a position he held until 1979. When he retired, he was named the bank’s honorary president.