Dear colleagues, dear friends,

I write to you at the end of this year 2009 in order to give you three brief informations about the life of our association Liberté pour l’histoire.

1. If the memorial debates have been solved for the time being in France, thanks to the parliamentary Rapport Accoyer published by the National Assembly, which declared that no more laws concerning historical facts should be introduced, the problems have moved to the East. In Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic States, a battle has been raging for the last six months. Its stakes are even more important than those we have known. Liberté pour l’histoire takes its share, modest but determined, in this battle by expressing its full and entire solidarity to our Russian colleagues who defend in their country the very same cause than ours and who need our support.

All the documents about this battle are available for consultation and download on our brand new website (www.lph-asso.fr).

2. It would be an illusion to believe that our mission has been completed because it has got satisfaction in France. The memorial matters at stakes have only become globalized, as is shown in the letter that has been send by Arnita Jones, executive director of the American Historical Association, to Dmitrii Medvedev, which gives the action of Liberté pour l’histoire as an exemple (Jones). It’s also well illustrated by the fact that Russian historians who fight against the projects of memorial laws call upon our exemple and ask for our support (Koposov). Likewise, it is not indifferent to note that the Russian rationale to the memorial laws is based on the French previous laws. This enlargement of the frame of our action implies that we should stay mobilized and vigilant. This is why I ask the French signatories of the Appel de Blois who haven’t yet joined our association to do it and to those who are already members to renew their subscription for the year 2010. I am glad to announce to the latter that the general ordinary assembly of Liberté pour l’histoire will be held on the 13th of February, 2010. The place and schedule of the manifestation will be soon send to them.

3. I have mentioned several times the new version of our website. As you will see, it has been totally renewed and reorganized by a team of dedicated and skilful volunteers, and its content has been greatly enriched. It has become a very beautiful tool for information, mobilization and documentation, frequently updated that anyone of you is invited to visit and possibly enrich.

We have been pretty much requested those last weeks to intervene in the debate launched by the French Government about the “national identity”. We have thought that any form of declaration in this trapped debate would be necessarily used at ends that are not ours. I have myself, as the chairman of Liberté pour l’histoire, declined any invitation of the medias, allowing myself to intervene at any time that will seem to me appropriate.

On behalf of Liberté pour l’histoire, I send to each one of you all my greetings and my very best wishes for the year to come

Pierre Nora,

Chairman of Liberté pour l’histoire, November the 24th, 2009.