Reims, American City

FHS supports the making of a documentary film that highlights the role of American philanthropy in France.

Historical Background

Under the impetus of President Woodrow Wilson, the United States’ entry into the war alongside the Entente powers in April 1917 was accompanied by the establishment of humanitarian assistance of an unprecedented scale. The assistance was intended for Europe and in particular for France, financed by the Federal Reserve, and above all by the American people through fundraising campaigns. Implemented in large part by the American Red Cross, this assistance was intended not only for the soldiers of the Allied countries but also for civilian populations in need, especially those that had been displaced. After the armistice, American humanitarian aid in France focused particularly on the resettlement of refugees in their devastated towns and villages. This is how the American Red Cross came to play a major role in the return of tens of thousands of inhabitants to Reims, the largest martyred city of the war. 

Support for the reconstruction of Reims also came in the form of private funding, to a degree unparalleled elsewhere in France. In addition, people from across the Atlantic volunteered and shared their skills. Thanks to American efforts and funds, the plan of the city was redesigned; a children’s hospital, public library and tennis club were built; and the cathedral was restored. Furthermore, cultural exchanges led to the appearance of new sporting activities. This chapter of Franco-American relations, still little known to the general public, initiated bonds of friendship that persist today.

About the Film

The FHS grant supports the making of a documentary film by Pierre Coulon, with the working title Reims, American City. The film takes as its subject the humanitarian and reconstruction assistance America provided to Reims following the destruction of World War I, in one of the first examples of the role played by American philanthropy in France.