"...worth reading for the civilian point of view on military events, including observations on the U.S. Army’s return to France in 1944. It is also excellent background reading for those who want to know about wartime life in France." —The Journal of America's Military Past

“September 1939 slipped into October quite silently as if it did not want to attract any notice. The atmosphere is tense with expectancy, ready for the critical times that lie ahead. Everyone is geared for eventualities with courage and the élan of high purpose. Members of the Embassy staff have received their orders to leave for different posts: Bordeaux for some, Nantes for others and for others the Château de Candé. Some of us volunteered to remain in Paris. I was one of them. Paris will be safe or as dangerous as any other place, perhaps safer as every effort will be made to protect the city with its priceless works of art and its beauty.” 
  
Marie-Louise Dilkes’ astute observations of life in Paris during World War II are written from the unique perspective of the receptionist for the American Embassy. The Embassy was the first—or last—resort for many caught up in the chaos of war, and hers was the first face they would see as they walked through the grand doors.
  
She takes us from the conquest and occupation of Paris by German forces but includes the war-time journey of the American consulate in Paris from Paris to Lisbon to Lyon to Bern and back to Paris. She ends with the triumphant return of members of the American Embassy staff, after the Allies forced the German Army out of Paris, and the reestablishment of the American Embassy in Paris.

• Cover page
• Title page
• Copyright
• Preface
• Introduction
• To the Modern Reader
• Dedication
• 1. August 25, 1939–June 14, 1940: Serving with the American Embassy in Paris in Turbulent Times
• 2. June 15, 1940–December 31, 1940: Serving with the American Embassy in Paris during the Occupation
• 3. January 1, 1941–June 3, 1941: The American Embassy in Paris Relocates to Vichy
• 4. June 4, 1941–July 20, 1941: The American Embassy Facility in Paris Becomes a Consulate
• 5. July 20, 1941–December 26, 1941: The American Consulate Leaves Paris
• Epilogue January 1, 1942–October 11, 1944: Serving with the U.S. Legation in Switzerland
• Endnotes
• Glossary
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgments
• Index