207 - Henri PAUVERT (1892–1955), naval commissioner.

Henri PAUVERT (1892–1955), naval commissioner. 5 letters written by the author, from Les Lèves (Gironde) (and one at sea), 1930–1933, to Jean MERMOZ; 5½ pages, in-4 format. Friendly correspondence in which Pauvert follows Mermoz’s voyages and exploits. “I read that the mail leaving Toulouse on the 16th is to be transported from Dakar to Natal by you. Needless to say, I’ll be rooting for you with all my heart as an old friend. I’m confident of your success, and I’m proud of my friend Mermoz.” (March 14, 1930). Aboard the *Jamaïque*, en route to Rio and then Buenos Aires, he learns of Mermoz’s record and congratulates him: “To think that about a month ago you had never flown a seaplane”; he learned with sadness of the death of the Count of La Vaulx (April 20). He thought of Mermoz in Oran and, after mentioning Le Brix’s accident, asked for news of Guillaumet, with whom he had corresponded by radio during a flight along the African coast, and wondered: “From an ‘Aérospatiale’ perspective, what are you up to?” (December 6, 1931). Congratulations: “I was in Toulouse the day you crossed the Atlantic, and Pierre and I spent a lot of time at the radio station tracking your progress. I’ll admit that toward the end of your journey, we weren’t very reassured”; he laments the deaths of two other aviators (May 22, 1933)… Enclosed is a copy of a letter from Mermoz to Pauvert (Natal, June 16, 1934), regarding his problems with Air France and runway maintenance, as well as his plans for stopovers in Brazil and Africa. Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Later passed down within the family