born April 28, 1900, Noyelles-Godault, France
died July 11, 1964, at sea en route to Yalta
French communist politician.
He began working as a coal miner at age 12. He joined the French Communist Party 0441; 1920 and was arrested several times for agitation. After becoming local party secretary (1923), he rose to secretary-general of the party (1930). He served in the Chamber of Deputies (193239, 194560) and helped form the Popular Front government in 1936. He lived in the Soviet Union (194344), then returned to France and served as a minister of state (1945) and deputy premier (1946, 1947). He remained a dedicated Stalinist even after Nikita Khrushchev denounced Joseph Stalin in 1956.