Editing History of Martinique (section)

=== World War II ===
[[File:02 Frantz-Fanon-lors-dune-conférence-de-presse-du-Congrès-des-écrivains-à-Tunis-1959.jpg|thumb|Frantz-Fanon]]
Until mid-1943, Martinique was officially pro-[[Vichy France|Vichy]], with the US and Great Britain seeking to limit any effect of that stance on the war. The US did prepare plans for an invasion by an expeditionary force to capture the island, and at various times the US and Britain established blockades. For instance, from July to November 1940, the British cruisers {{HMS|Fiji|46|6}} and {{HMS|Dunedin|D93|6}} maintained a watch to ensure that the French aircraft carrier [[French aircraft carrier Béarn|''Béarn'']] and the other French naval vessels in Martinique did not slip away to Europe.

In June 1940, the French cruiser [[French cruiser Émile Bertin|''Émile Bertin'']] arrived in Martinique with 286 tons of gold from the [[Bank of France]]. The original intent was that Bank's gold reserve go to Canada for safekeeping, and a first shipment did go there. When France signed an armistice with Germany, plans changed and the second shipment was rerouted to Martinique. When it arrived in Martinique, Admiral Robert arranged for the storage of the gold in [[Fort Desaix]]. The island was blockaded by the [[Royal Navy]] and the British used the gold as collateral for [[Lend-Lease]] facilities from the US, on the basis it could be "acquired" at any time if needed.<ref name="Intrepid">{{cite book |title=A man called Intrepid |last=Stevenson |first=William |publisher=Macmillan London Limited |date=1976 |sbn=333 19377 6}}</ref>

In late 1941, Admiral Robert agreed to keep the French naval vessels, including the ''Émile Bertin'' immobilized, in return for the Allies not bombarding and invading the French Antilles. In mid-1943, Admiral Robert returned to France via [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Lisbon]], and Free French sympathizers took control of the gold at Fort Desaix and the French fleet.

In 1944, the American film director [[Howard Hawks]] directed [[Humphrey Bogart]], [[Lauren Bacall]], [[Hoagy Carmichael]] and [[Walter Brennan]] in the film ''[[To Have and Have Not (film)|To Have and Have Not]]''. Hawks more-or-less based the film on a novel that [[Ernest Hemingway]] had written in 1937. The essence of the plot is the conversion from neutrality to the Free French side of an American fishing boat captain operating out of Vichy-controlled Fort de France in 1940.

In 1945, [[Aimé Césaire]] succeeded in getting elected [[Mayor (France)|Mayor]] of Fort de France and Deputy from Martinique to the [[French National Assembly]] as a member of the [[French Communist Party|Communist Party]]. Césaire remained mayor for 56 years. However, the Communist suppression of the [[Hungarian Revolution of 1956]] disillusioned him, causing him to quit the Communist Party. As a member of the Assembly, he was one of the principal drafters of the 1946 law on departmentalizing former colonies, a role for which politicians favoring independence have often criticized him.

In 1947 the High Court of Justice in Versailles tried Admiral Robert for [[collaboration]]. He received a sentence of 10 years at hard labor and national degradation for life. The Court released him from the hard labor after six months, and he received a pardon in 1957.