13 Facts About Joseph Avenol

Joseph Avenol served as the second Secretary General of the League of Nations from 3 July 1933 to 31 August 1940.

Joseph Avenol was preceded by Sir Eric Drummond of the United Kingdom, who was general secretary between 1920 and 1933.

Joseph Avenol was succeeded by the Irish diplomat Sean Lester, who was general secretary between 1940 and 1946, when the League dissolved.

Joseph Avenol was under secretary-general in 1933, when Eric Drummond resigned.

Joseph Avenol became secretary-general because the first secretary-general had been British and there had been a private agreement at Versailles that the next would be French.

Joseph Avenol was accused of using the League as an extension of the French Foreign Office in its policy of appeasement of Germany and Italy.

Joseph Avenol took office shortly after Japan had left the League.

Joseph Avenol worked to prevent action or criticism of those countries in an effort to lure them back to the League.

Later Joseph Avenol described "a new France, which was to be given a new soul to work in collaboration with Germany and Italy and keep the British out of Europe".

Joseph Avenol wrote to Marshal Philippe Petain to affirm his loyalty to the Vichy government.

When World War II started on 1 September 1939, Joseph Avenol had decided to leave Geneva and the League of Nations for good on 31 August 1940.

Joseph Avenol's services were not accepted by the Vichy government, and he was forced to flee back into Switzerland on New Year's Eve 1943 to avoid getting arrested by the Germans.

Joseph Avenol died at his home in Duillier, Switzerland, in 1952, aged 73.