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René Défourneaux, detail from group photo of "Deer Team" with Ho Chi Minh and Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap [1945]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945; Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: OSS-CIC
  • Location of Service: European Theater; Pacific Theater
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/3357

View full service history

"A major asked me this question, "Defourneaux, how would you like to go back to the old country before everyone else?' And I said, 'And how you propose to send me there?'" (Audio Interview, 5:21)

He was born in France and emigrated to the U.S. just before World War II broke out in Europe. René Défourneaux wound up back in France when the OSS recruited him for his language skills. He found working with his old countrymen surprisingly difficult; they seemed to resent the Americans who came to save them from the Nazis. Late in the war, Défourneaux parachuted into the China-Burma-India Theater, where he almost died from a severe case of hepatitis and met a rising political leader named Ho Chi Minh.

Rene J. Defourneaux Collection
Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Rene J. Defourneaux Collection

Names

  • Lugar, Richard
  • U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar
  • Doud, Mark D.
  • Defourneaux, Rene J.

Home State

  • Indiana

Headings

  • -  Defourneaux, Rene J.
  • -  World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • World War, 1939-1945

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: OSS-CIC
    • Location of Service: European Theater; Pacific Theater
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1965
    • Military Status: veteran
  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: OSS-CIC
    • Highest Rank: Major
    • Dates of Service: 1943-1965
    • Military Status: veteran

Materials

  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of audio recording (collected 2009-07-24)
  • Computer File: Floppy Disk [1 item] -- Electronic file of manuscript (collected 2009-07-24; 2009-07-24)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2006-03-06; 2006-03-06)
  • Audio: CD [1 item] -- Reference copy (collected 2007-11-07; 2007-11-07)
  • Manuscript: Book [1 item] -- (collected 1997)
  • Audio: Audio Cassette [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2002-12-12)
  • Photograph: Original photographic print [2 items] -- (collected unknown)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/3357

Cite as

  • Rene J. Defourneaux Collection (AFC/2001/001/3357), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • audio
  • image
  • online text

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Wars & Conflicts

Service Branch

Location of Service

Service Unit

Highest Rank

Discharge Status

Gender

Home State

Interviewee

Interviewer

Organization/Affiliation

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Lugar, Richard, U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar, Mark D Doud, and Rene J Defourneaux. Rene J. Defourneaux Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03357/.

APA citation style:

Lugar, R., U.S. Senate/Richard Lugar, Doud, M. D. & Defourneaux, R. J. (1943) Rene J. Defourneaux Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03357/.

MLA citation style:

Lugar, Richard, et al. Rene J. Defourneaux Collection. 1943. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.03357/>.