1964-65 New York World's Fair Groundbreaking and Dedication Booklets

french pavilion / f ebruary 5, 1963

S GROUNDBREAKING AT THE NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR 1964-1965

Following is a transcription of remarks by French
and World's Fair officials at the French Pavilion
groundbreaking ceremonies, New York World's
Fair, Tuesday, February 5, 1963.

AMBASSADOR RICHARD C. PATTERSON, JR.
[Chief of Protocol]: Distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen. Today we are witnessing the groundbreaking
for the French Pavilion, as you know — the Pavilion of
the Spirit of France. The first speaker is Mr. Allen Beach,

director of our International Exhibits of the World's Fair
1964-1965 Corporation. Mr. Beach.

ALLEN BEACH: Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, M.
Chevalier, Mr. Moses, Mr. Golff, Mr. Pierre, Miss
Suzanne Bernard, who is Queen of the French Pavilion,
distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Governor
Poletti, who is the vice president for International Affairs
and Exhibits, is missing this ceremony by but one day.
He returns late tomorrow from Italy where he has final-
ized the Italian participation in the Fair. I talked to him
yesterday and he asked me to say this for him. "Please
convey to Mr. Golff, president of the International Expo-
sitions, Inc. and his associates; and to Mrs. Mary Lasker
and her fine advisory committee to the French Pavilion ;

Cover: The French Pavilion at the New York World's Fair will consist of three buildings of pure geometric design.
A rectangular structure will house industrial exhibits, Maxim's famous Paris restaurant and a Moulin Rouge dining
terrace. The second building, a pure white ellipse, will contain a 1500-seat theater where the original "Folies
Bergere" will be presented. A towering pyramid will contain the Treasures of Versailles, an enormous collection of
French paintings and art objects. The pavilion will feature a million dollar miniature reproduction of the City of Paris;
specialty restaurants, and over 200 exhibits dealing with the life and products of France. The pavilion has been
designed by Sidney L. Katz of Katz Waisman Weber Strauss-Blumenkranz. Contractor: Rand Construction Company.
Cole Fischer and Rogow will serve as advertising and public relations representatives, and Bill Doll and Company will
handle the national and international publicity campaign.

I 1963 New York World's Foir 1964-1965 Corporation

and to M. Chevalier; my sincerest congratulations on their
groundbreaking ceremony, as well as my personal thanks
to all those who have made the French Pavilion possible
at the Fair. You can all be assured of our fullest coopera-
tion, and I am confident of your success."

To this I would like to add my own personal congratu-
lations. We all know the problems that have been over-
come in the tremendous effort that Mr. Golff and his
advisors and associates have put into this project to bring
it to this point. It was just four-and-a-half months ago
that Mr. Golff came to our office and heard about our
long efforts to secure French participation in the Fair. A
week later, Mr. Golff came back with some associates,
Mr. Gercine, Mr. Ortuno and some others. He came back
with a plan. And we liked the plan, but we wanted to
know more about Mr. Golff. So, a few days later we re-
ceived letters from officials of several countries for whom
Mr. Golff had organized exhibitions ; also letters from
officials from our own Department of Commerce, Depart-
ment of State, from leading exhibition firms and other
firms throughout the United States; all praising his work,
talent and ability, and we were convinced.

Displaying the World's Fair official medallion presented
to them at French Pavilion groundbreaking ceremonies
are honor guest Maurice Chevalier and French Pavilion
Director Anthony B. Golff. For the Fair: President Robert
Moses and Director of International Exhibits Allen Beach.

Mr. Golff and his associates have taken on a challenging
project. What they have accomplished in a few months is
tremendous. They may be assured that they have the full-
est support from all of us. Private industry and cultural
organizations of France are fortunate that a group like
Mr. Golff and his team was available. Otherwise, France
might not have been represented in this great interna-
tional event in 1964 and 1965. Thank you.

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Thank You, Mr.
Beach. May I now introduce to you Mr. Leo J. M. Pierre,
the World's Fair representative for the Chase Manhattan
Bank. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee
for the French Pavilion. Mr. Pierre.

LEO J. M. PIERRE: Thank you, sir. It is indeed a
great pleasure to be here, and on such a glorious day,
which shows that Mr. Moses knows how to arrange
things. Unfortunately, thinking of France today, there
are black clouds on the horizon, politically speaking, as
we all know, but I hope, I trust — I am quite sure that
these clouds will disappear very quickly ; the sky will be

Suzanne Bernard swings ribbon-bedecked bottle of
champagne to break it on a bull-dozer during ground-
breaking ceremonies for the French Pavilion. Watching
Suzanne, who is Miss French Pavilion, are Anthony B.
Golff, president of International Exposition Corp., Allen
Beach, director of International Exhibits, Robert Moses
and Maurice Chevalier.

blue and sunny again, and French-American friendship
will be as safe and secure as it has been through the
centuries.

I regret the absence of Mrs. Lasker, who happens to
be the chairman of the Advisory Committee for the
French Pavilion at the Fair, and I believe I'm probably
the only member of this committee present today. The
Advisory Committee is comprised of a perfectly beautiful
list of names, and we all feel that just because there have
been certain difficulties, in setting up this beautiful project,
it will be very necessary not to make it just a list of dis-
tinguished names, but to create a real spirit of help and
dedication and in the name of the Advisory Committee.
For myself, I should like to say that we intend to be a
working committee and that we pledge our support to
Mr. Moses, to Mr. Golff, and to all the dedicated people
who are trying to have the French flag flying at the
World's Fair.

We all feel that it would have been absolutely impossi-
ble to conceive of such a large and important manifesta-
tion in New York without France being present. We shall
do our best — knowing that the 1939-1940 World's Fair

saw a perfectly magnificent French Pavilion — to have an
even better one in 1964 and 1965.

Standing here at my right is a gentleman whom all of
you know. Who couldn't? I have the great privilege of
being a personal friend of M. Chevalier. He has become
a part of the American entertainment world, and many
of you may remember such magnificent movies as "The
Love Parade" with M. Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald,
and "Gigi," and many others. In "The Love Parade" he
was a dashing young man, and now, many years later,
he is still very dashing in "Gigi."

In Paris, and throughout France in general, he's not
Monsieur Chevalier, but simply Maurice. May I introduce
Maurice Chevalier.

MAURICE CHEVALIER: I have not a speech ready
to make in such an important circumstance. I only mean
to say that I'm very proud that I've been asked to be here
at the birth of the French Pavilion. I am sure that it will
become something beautiful, as it has to be beautiful to
be in harmony with what is going to be done all around
this French Pavilion. All I can say is that I hope it will

be as beautiful and as deep as the love and as the grati-
tude that I have for America, and I am sure that it will
be so because it has to be so and it should be so definitely.
Thank you very much.

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Thank you, our guest
of honor. I should like now to present Mr. Anthony B
Golff, who holds a brilliant post in our coming World's
Fair, as the director of the French Pavilion. Mr. Golff.

ANTHONY B. GOLFF: Thank you,Mr. Ambassador,
Maurice Chevalier, Mr. Moses. In the words of the
"Marseillaise," the day of glory has arrived. We hope to
build here one of the finest pavilions that has ever been
built in any fair anywhere, as a tribute to France, as a
demonstration of our gratitude to that great nation, and
by way of presenting to the world the cultures, the prod-
ucts, and all of the fine things which emanate from
France.

We invite you to join us in our efforts and we take
this opportunity to invite all of French industry and com-
merce to participate in this great work. Thank you very
much.

THE FRENCH PAVILION

will occupy a 77,000

sq. ft. site in the

nternational Area,

across from the

Lunar Fountain.

AMBASSADOR PATTERSON: Thank you, Mr.
Golff. The next distinguished American whom I shall
present, like Maurice Chevalier, needs no introduction.
I give you the distinguished president of the New York
World's Fair, the Honorable Robert Moses.

ROBERT MOSES: Dick Patterson, M. Chevalier, and
friends. Allow me to express briefly the great pleasure
of the officers of the Fair that this French Pavilion is to
have an honored place in our demonstration of world
progress. We rejoice that the French people will not be
among the few conspicuous absentees but will join New
York City, our American states and industries and the
greater part of the globe in promoting peace through
understanding.

The common market we offer at the Fair is one based
on the old Olympic ideal of healthy rivalry far removed
from all ideologies, the meeting of strong men regardless
of border, breed and birth.

I shall sound no discordant notes here. As to the B.I.E.,
we are not, and never could have been, members. The
New York Fair is not governmental, and our country

could not join with the B.I.E. otherwise than by treaty
approved by the Senate. Ours is a two, not a one-year
Fair; it operates under a charter, rules and regulations
entirely out of the B.I.E. jurisdiction. These facts have
been certified and publicized over and over again. And
the subject no longer constitutes news.

One look about you at the multifarious activities at
Flushing Meadow will tell you that we deal here with
realities and the future — not with cliches, old, unhappy
far-off things or battles long ago. We recognize past
glories and memories, but our faces are to the future.

We raise our voices at my Alma Mater, Yale Univer-
sity, to the Spirit of Youth, alive, unchanging, under
whose feet the years are cast. Who but Maurice Chevalier,
master of song and story, put over not with a leer, but
with economy of gesture, charm and a glance of the eye,
so perfectly illustrates, symbolizes and personifies this
Spirit? He has that rare and precious combination of
nostalgia and elan vital which is the quintessence of
France.

Again, welcome to the greatest show of our times, and
thanks again for coming to the groundbreaking.

FRENCH PAVILION ADVISORY

ANTHONY B. GOLFF, Director of the French Pavilion

COMMITTEE

MRS. ALBERT D. LASKER, Chairman

MRS. HUGH AUCHINCLOSS

HIS EXCELLENCY HENRI BONNET

RENE BOUCHE

JAMES H. BOYCE

CHARLES BOYER

MRS. DAVID K. E. BRUCE

WILLIAM A. M. BURDEN

THE HONORABLE JEFFERSON CAFFREY

CLAUDE CARTIER

PHILIP CORTNEY

MRS. DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

MISS ELIZABETH FAIRALL

THE HONORABLE JAMES M. GAVIN

MRS. THOMAS HITCHCOCK

THE HONORABLE AMORY HOUGHTON

ALEXIS LICHINE

GOVERNOR THEODORE McKELDIN

LEO J. PIERRE

RICHARD DE ROCHEMONT

BARON EDMOND ROTHSCHILD

BRONIER THIBAUT

LOUIS VAUDABLE

GEORGE D. WIDENER

NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR

Flushing 52, N. Y.

UNISPHERE

pnrnlM n (USS) IWM MM SIMl

1964-1965 CORPORATION
Tel. 212- WF 4-1964

ROBERT MOSES, President

THOMAS J. DEEGAN, JR., Chairman of the Execunve Committee

WILLIAM E. POTTER, Executive Vice President

CHARLES POLETTI, Vice President, International Affairs and Exhibits

STUART CONSTABLE, Vice President, Operations

WILLIAM A. BERNS, Vice President, Communications and Public Relations

ERWIN WITT, Comptroller

MARTIN STONE, Director of Industrial Section

GUY F. TOZZOLI, (Port of New York Authority) Transportation Section

ERNESTINE R. HAIG, Secretory of the Corporation and
Assistant to the President

WILLIAM WHIPPLE, JR., Chief Engineer