Sarraut, Albert Pierre

Sarraut, Albert Pierre älbĕrˈ pyĕr särōˈ [key], 1872–1962, French leader, a Radical Socialist. A member of the chamber of deputies from 1902, he was governor-general (1911–14, 1916–19) of French Indochina, and from 1920 to 1940 he was almost continuously a member of French cabinets. Briefly premier in 1933 and 1936, Sarraut favored military action against the German occupation (1936) of the Rhineland but was unable to implement the policy. During World War II, he was arrested (1944) and deported to Germany, but was freed by the Allies in 1945. After the war he was editor of the powerful newspaper Dépêche de Toulouse and president (1959–60) of the French Union.

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