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A Love story
that had an impact on WW2
Aimée de Heeren and Joe Kennedy Jr
and the Cedre Imperial Meudon
Rio de Janeiro 1930s
1919 Aimée Sotto Maior and her sister Vera arrive in Rio
She is the daughter of a school teacher from Parana.
She studies languages, English, Spanish, Italian, German
Everybody is captivated by her overwhelming beauty
...
1923 Getulio Vargas becomes a deputy and starting a political career
1930 November 3 Getulio Vargas becomes provisional President of Brazil.
1933 January 30 Adolf Hitler seizes power in Germany and becomes Chancellor of Nazi German Reich.
1933 November 8 Franklin Delano Roosevelt becomes the 32nd President of the United States.
1936 November 27 Roosevelt comes to Brazil for a State Visit.
1937 Vargas turns into the President of the non democratic Brazilian "Estado Nuovo".
Among the people surrounding the President is
Aimée Sotto Maior.
1934 September Aimée accompanies Luis Simoes Lopes
send to Berlin to meet
the new German regime.
The minister of propaganda receives them.
They arrive from Zurich via a Zeppelin.
1937 Vargas is invited to make Brazil join the Axis Powers,
together with Germany, Italy and Japan.
Germany is a strong trade partner for Brazil
Vargas has a certain admiration for the new German regime.
1938 Before signing an alliance with the Axis powers
Vargas decides to
send Aimée Sotto Maior to Paris
to conduct investigations around Europe.
Vargas doesn't trust the jugement of his different ambassadors in Europe.
Paris 1938
Aimée arrives in Paris like a bombshell.
Hi society is in rage that a woman of such beauty
covered with diamonds,
dressed in haute couture
shoping from one fashion designer to another
permanently living in Grand Hotels
has so much money
and all this without a husband,
something unthinkable at the time.
Aimée first residence in Paris
the Hotel Plaza Athenée, avenue Montaigne
followed by the Hotel Meurice, rue de Rivoli
According to Bettina Ballard,
editor in chief of Vogue France
"Hung with diamonds,
she was pushed from fittings to balls,
never allowed a moment for private conquest
because every hostess needed her
for her party
to prove that she could draw the lioness of the season."
Nobody imagins that the "wealthy South American heiress"
that is so into fashion and stylish parties
is in reality the daughter of a poor school teacherfrom Castro,
a small city in the state of Parana.
The government of Brazil pays for all her expenses
with a a special mission "secret service agent".
Someone that really wants to know her is Coco Chanel.
Chanel doesn't realise that Aimée uses her to get connections and information.
Mademoiselle loves to be accompanied by Aimée when she goes out
making her meet her former boyfriend Dmitri Romanov,
Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway,
and many people you know from history books.
Gabrielle Chanel shows Aimée her little secrets,
a spectacular staircase next to Cremerie de Paris
with a N°5 forged into the railings.
A place
where Louis XIV had spend parts of his childhoon.
There is also
a magical tree in Meudon,
a beautiful small town between Paris and Versailles,
the Cedre Imperial Meudon.
According to legends from Russia
this tree that is of extreme beauty
has the power to transmit good energy.
He lives in Meudon 6.6 km from the Eiffel Tower
in
the garden of the "Villa Les Cèdres";
11 - 15 rue de la Republique, once upon a time called rue Napoléon.
The legends come from Dmitri Romanov
Chanel's former boyfriend
who had grown up in St Petersburg.
Alexandra Feodorovna / Alix Hessen
told the children fairytales from France
she had heard as a child from
the old Empress Eugenie living in Britian in exile.
All
the Romanov children wanted to travel to Meudon
to be able to touch the tree. They had a picture of the cedre
from their cousin Vladimir Paley that grew up in Boulogne sur Seine
and that had send them the above postcard (picture taken around 1900).
London 1938
A glamorous American family occupies the American Embassy in London
Ambassador
Patrick Joseph Kennedy (1888 - 1969)
married to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890 - 1995)
They have nine children that are sometimes around:
Joe Jr (Joseph Patrick) Kennedy Jr (1915 - 1944)
JFK (John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917 - 1963)
Rosemary Kennedy (1918 - 2005)
Katheleen Kennedy Cavendish (1920 - 1948)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver (1921 - 2009)
Patricia Kennedy Lawford (1924 - 2006)
Robert Francis Kennedy (1925 - 1968)
Jean Kennedy Smith (1928 - 2020)
Ted (Edward)
Kennedy (1932 - 2009)
At an Embassy reception Aimée Sotto Maior meets the two sons of the Ambassador:
Patrick Joseph Jr and John
Fitzgerald.
In London (probably in London) she also meets a German
from a family with long military traditions,
Helmuth James von Moltke (1907 - 1945).
The great uncle of Moltke was a famous Prussian General.
He also had non German roots
through his mother
Dorothy Rose-Innes born in South Africa.
Moltke
worked as a lawyer in Berlin.
and helped jewish business people to leave the country.
Well connected in Germany
Motke had bad news for Aimée
fully informing and documenting her about Hitlers
plans with the jewish population.
Paris / Meudon 1939
Back in Paris Aimée realises she has to do everything she could
to stop President Vargas to enter into an alliance with this horrible German regime.
From a Secret Service agent simply transmitting information
she turned into a Secret Anti Nazi activist.
To continue her work.
she had to keep that cover of a "superficial fashionista"
that understood nothing about politics.
She returned to the magical cedar tree in Meudon
Chanel has shown her. Meditating in from of the tree
she tried to find the force to do the right things.
Aimée secretly rents a little room
in a house
facing the magical tree.
The room gives her the possibility to eclipse from her
Professional Luxury Life in the Grand Hotels.
Aimée realises she needs to pass information on President Roosevelt.
She had met him in Rio but she did not have a personal contact.
Aimée needs to find help.
The two young Americans she had met in London
might be the right ones.
She could feel that the boys had fancied her.
Sons of the US Ambassado they might be able
to get in touch with the Roosevelt
Administration
to inform them about what she knew.
1939 February Patrick Joseph Kennedy
Jr comes in Paris.
He connects with Aimée.
Aimée meets him at the Plaza Athenée
and then they take a long walk along the river Seine to Meudon.
She shows him the breathtaking view from the observatoire
from where you can see the southern Paris skyline, the Eiffel Tower
and the magical Cedre Imperial.
The walk continues to 11 rue de la Republique, home of the tree.
Aimée takes the young Kennedy to the little room
she had rented as a hideaway.
This video shows the magical view on the Cedre Imperial
Aimée Sotto Maior and Joe Kennedy
watch the birds visiting the tree while the night comes to Paris.
In the background trains to Versailles cross the Meudon Viaduc.
and on the other side of the tree the Eiffel Tower.
Something happens
that should never happen to a Secret Service Agent.
They fall in Love.
A story that started next to the Cedre Imperial Meudon
6.6 km from the Eiffel Tower
...
At the time illumination of the tree was different.
Sparkeling ligts on the tower only exist since the millenum night
and many of the buildings you see in the skyline
had not been constructed.
In the morning Aime and Joe Jr watch the raise of the sun.
Joe stays a few days but he has to continue his journey to Perpignan.
They decide to see again as soon as possible.
Aimée continues her Secret Service Agent live in Paris,
going from one party to another,
accompanying Coco Chanel to events,
shopping fashion,
getting information
and creating a stirr wherever she arrives.
1939 July 1 Second Circus Ball Reception in Versailles
A book that illustrates Aimées live in France
was written by Charlie Scheibs
documenting the two fabolous
Circus Ball Parties given in Versailles
June 1938 and 1939
by Elsie de Wolfe / Lady Mendl.
Christian Dior, still an unknown designer working
for Robert Piguet
partly owes his career to the fact that Aimée wore at the ball
a dress he had designed.
The exitement around Aimée
attracts the attention of Marcel Boussac
who would later finance the launch of the House of Dior.
1939 July Aimée Sotto Maior and Joe Kennedy meet again on the côte d'Azur.
The Kennedy family reunite for vacation at the legendary Hotel du Cap.
1939 July Joe Kennedy on the beach near the Cap d'Antibes
1939 September 3 outbreak of World War 2
The picture shows the Kennedy boys and their sister
Katheleen
on the way to the parliament
where Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain
makes a speach declaring war on Germany.
France follows the same day
a few hours later.
Aimée continues her work which becomes more and more dangerous
as counter spys are all over Rio de Janeiro.
Someone might intercept her communications with President Vargas.
Germany is irritated that Vargas takes so long to joing the Axis coalition.
1939 November Aimée gets a warning to leave Paris immediatly.
Gerrman Counter spy agents are all over Rio de Janeiro
Her life is in danger.
Staying at the Hotel Meurice she leaves almost everything in her Hotel Room,
leaving for a few days to visit a friend in the a country.
The little room
in Meudon helps to hilde.
People calling are told that Aimée is returning shortly.
Coco Chanel will need to wait 15 to 20 years before seeing her again.
According to Françoise Cochin
Robert de Billy arranged for Aimée to be driven to Le Havre
from where she and her sister Vera took an ocean liner to New York.
Her ticket was in the name of Madame Lopes.
New York / Palm Beach 1940 -1945
1939 November 24 the ship carrying Aimée arrived in New York.
Aimée continued to work as an agent for
Vargas.
Based in New York it is less dangerous for Aimée to communicate with Vargas.
She uses her influence on the President to keep Brazil away from the Axis powers
and to slowly orient him to become a partner of the not jet formed Allies Coalition (United States / UK / de Gaulle).
The State of Brazil continues to provide financial ressources
so she and her sister Vera can settle in
an elegant appartment on Park Avenue.
Aimée and Joe Kennedy meet again,
the beginning of a new mission.
Trying to influence decision makers in the US
to take action against Germany.
Aimée knows she has to get in touch with President Roosevelt.
She had already met him
in Rio in 1936
but getting close to him is very difficult.
Aimée wants to meet Roosevelt to inform him about all she knoe from James von Moltke
Roosevelt persues a policy of neutrality
wanting to keep the United States out of the conflict.
Aimée knows that the economic power of the United States are necessary
to reverese balance of power in Europe.
1940 June 14 Germany army occupies Paris
1940 June 15 Germany army occupies Meudon
1940 June 18 Charles de Gaulle talks on BBC and invites people to join the "Forces françaises libres".
1940 October 22 Joe Kennedy Sr resigns from beeing from being the American Ambassador in the UK
and returns to the US.
1940 November 5 Roosevelt reelected President of the United States for the 2nd time.
He wins the election on the promise not to involve in the war taking place in Europe.
In New York Aimée turns into a fashion icon
organising social events
where Lady Mendl (the woman that had thrown the Versailles Circus Ball Parties)
and Mona von Bismarck also participate.
With her boyfriend Joe Kennedy Jr she does everything to influence
US decision makers around
the Roosevelt administation.
The world "cedar" is the secret code of their mission.
1941 June Kennedy becomes part of the US Navy.
A lot of Aimées lobby work takes place in Palm Beach
where meets decicion makers.
1941 December 11 US President Roosevelt declares war on Germany.
1942 January 12 Time Magazine elects Aimée among the worlds 3 most elegant woman.
1942 August 22 Brazilian President Getulio Vargas declares war on Germany.
1943 February First reversal in World War 2
Germany loses the battle of Stalingard.
Liberation
1943 August French Resistants meet in the still existing Boulangerie Lepivain
32 rue de la Republique Meudon, close to the Crder Imperial.
1943 September Kennedy sent to Britain to become a member of Bomber Squadron.
He completed
25 combat missions.
1943 for one night French resistance fighters change
the
street signs in Meudon Rue de la Republique
becomes Rue du General de Gaulle
1944 June 6 D-Day / Operation Neptune Allied troops land in Normandy.
1944 August 12
Operation Aprodite Joe Kennedy Jr and copilot Wilford Willy
flew a drone airplane with the mission to direct it into the Fortress of Mimoyecques,
an underground military complew near near Boulogne sur Mer on the coast of the North of France.
Misseles from that complex were targeted to reach London.
The pilots were expected to jump of the plane once it had reached a certain altitude
but the plane exploded prematurely
killing both of them.
Aimée keeps Joe Kennedy Jr in her heart
she stays in contact with the Kennedy family.
1944 August 24 liberalisation of Meudon
1944 August 25 liberalisation of Paris
1945 May 8 end of World War 2 in Europe
Suddendly to door opens, bung The Senator arrives with his daughter Kara. He is so exited to see Aimée he completely forgets to great the official Ladies that are waiting for him. He drops a kiss to Aimée and tells his daughter Kara and his nice Caroline "Aimée did not only facinate your oncle Joe Jr, (that had died before they were born) but also JFK, Robert, myself and your grandfather." Whenever Aimée was in Palm Beach the Kennedy House was completely crazy. In Palm Beach Aimée lived on 473 North County Road. The Kennedy house also called the "Winter White House" was on 1095 North Ocean Boulevard. The conversation continued with Ted and Aimée singing Brazilian songs they used to sing half a century before when Ted was a teenager.  The story sounds a little surrealistic, only Bernadette Chriac or Caroline Kennedy would be able to witness it tody. Besides two tiny snapshot the editor of this article took at the time, there were no pictures. (The lost orginals reapperaed in Germany 2021 june 12) |
This article came alive because
a real estate project circulates around the beautiful city of Meudon.
The magical Cèdre Impérial is supposed to be cut down
to make space for a building.
Some officials push the lovely little towns around Paris
to urbanise and let real estate promotion
replace magical old houses, gardens, trees
The
Cedre Imperial is one of these trees in danger ...
2021 May 8 Anniversary of the end of World War 2
The editor is reading a fascinating book from Emmanuelle Declerck
that documents what has happened in Meudon during WW2.
Wasn't this the moment to bring to paper
the Aimée & Joe Kennedy story that started in Meudon
and
had a real impact on WW2.
Aimee had told the editor of this article a lot about Joe Kennedy Jr.
He could feel that - over half a century later -
she still loved him.
He had seen a few pictures
but after Aimée had left this world
he had never seen them again ...
Nobody might might beleive him.
Time to research images on the internet.
2021 May 8 almost midnight
on Getty images
thanks to Bertrand Rindoff Petroff
a famous Paris Event photographer
Embed from Getty Images
The editor of this article
found something.
Oups it was not
a picture of Joe and Aimee
but a picture of himself with Joes niece and JFK daughter Caroline Kennedy
The last
image of the Panorama shows Aimée in the background
right next to Caroline Kennedy.
More pictres on Getty Images
With time more pictures will probably reappear.
(in case you have someting just drop an emai b "at" vb.com)
Caroline Kennedy talking about her father
on the occasion of his 100th birthday
The man from the Moon
Two names that remain from the Kennedy Presidency
outshining aveybodu else ...
are Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
even though Kennedy couldn't see them walk on the Moon.
Buzz Aldrin was kind of fascinated by Aimée
not only beaucause of personality
but also because of her life
being connected to President Kennedy, the man
that had taken the decision to send him on the Moon.
1999 - 2005 Buzz and Lois Aldrin used to come to Paris many times
and the editor of this article
had the chance to take them visiting
Paris and the beautiful surroundings of the city.
Mrs Aldrin just loved the Cedre Imperial Meudon
and all its fairytales linked to so much history
and the gardens of Versailles.
Lois Aldrin always told us to make a movie about the Cedre Imperial
She was fascinated by the two centuries of history linked the tree,
the fact that the Cedar was a fairy tale for the Romanov children.
She also knew from Aimée that it was linked to Joe Kennedy Jr.
For the Aldrins the Cedre Imperial was a symbol
of the French American friendshiop in difficult times.
They also loved the park of Versailles.
Above picture shows them with the editor of this article.
Two weeks before arriving
the editor received an email.
"We are coming to Paris, we are staying at the Ritz.
These are our numbers (at least 4 numbers were listed).
Do you want to organise something with us ?
Lois and Buzz"
When in Paris Buzz and Lois were like teenagers
enjoying to be in France.
Writing this article was discovered a lovely video
about Lois added at the end.
2006 September 19 Aimée Sotto Maior / Aimée de Heeren dies in New York.
2009 August 25 Ted Kennedy dies in Hyannis Port.
2011 January Cremerie de Paris turns into a Brand Expo Location
2012 November We buy the little room in Meudon with it's magical view on the Cedar
as a souvenir of Aimée de Heeren and Joe Kennedy Jr.
2018 July 17 Lois Aldrin dies in Salt Lake City
The movie Mrs Aldrin had suggested to make
has not been made yet,
but meeting Mr and Mrs Aldrin
had an influence of the 1999 invention
of the Phone Book of the World.
2021 march the magical Cedre Imperial moved on it's homepage
so that it's view
on the Eiffel Tower
can send good energy from France to the World.
Finding people through directories is not always easy.
The
Cedar is there to give the users of the Phone Book of the World
energy to keep seraching if finding someone is difficult.
Visit the Cedre Imperial Cèdre Impérial Meudon 11 rue de la République 92190 Meudon France height: 37 m circumference: 4,81 m wingspan: 22 m tabular form: exceptional age: around 220 years life expectancy: several centuries state of health: vigorous, the tree would need more water as the parking spaces arount it have been covered with bithume. owner: the city of Meudon, Major Denis Larghero value: priceless  The Brazilian Whitepages show the Cedre Imperial on their homepage. In Brazil the Imperial Cedar Meudon is the most famous tree from France linked to a woman that stoped the country to join Germany during WW2  Geo Point: 48.81038 - 2.236599 public transport from Paris RER C to Versailles Chateau - station Meudon Val Fleury "When looking at the tree think about the Aimee & Joe Kennedy Jr Love Story." If Aimée had not been around Brazil would most probably have have allied with Germany. And if Joe Kennedy Jr had not helped her to get connections in the US pushing decision makers to take action the US would have taken much longer to enter WW2 ... Hard to image how much more damage WW2 would have left ... In some way the Cedre Imperial Meudon is also a living monument of Resistance in France even though one of the resistance fighters was Brazilian and the another one American ... Would it be sad to sacrify such an iconic monument for a real estate project ?    |
Save the Cedre Imperial Cèdre Impérial Meudon 11 rue de la République 92190 Meudon France Denis Larghero, the Major of Meudon remembering the end of WW2 (in French - 2021) Mr Larghero is the present major of the city of Meudon, owner of the Cedre Imperial. His speech is very charming (it is in French) mentionning the French and Non French Resistant fighters that helped to liberate France. Unfortunatly Denis Larghero doesn't mention the role the Cedre Imperial Meudon has played to give energy to resistants to chase the Nazis from France. Video from the GNSA that is trying to protect the legendary Cedre Ipmerial the advisors of Denis Larghero want to cut.  Instead some of his advisors want to cut the tree to replace it by a new municipal building. While Meudon was still occupied by the Nazis during one night the street signs of Rue de la Republique were changed into Rue du General De Gaulle. We would now need the help of de Gaulle to save the magical tree. Below Music Video was made to show the Cedre Imperial in relation to it's +200 year long history. As Aimée de Heeren never tried to be in the public eye her relation with Joe Kennedy Jr is not known. Only Caroline Kennedy and some of her cousins might know the story from their uncle Ted. The editor of this article knows to from Aimée herself. The tree might have woken it up and lost photographs start to reappear ... "Denis Larghero, please don't cut this tree linked to a Story that had a major impact on World War 2. Without the Aimée de Heeren and Joe Kennedy Jr Story the war might have taken much longer ... It was very difficult to get President Roosevelt change his mind and to make him understand that the help of the United States was needed. It's Resistance story that started in Meudon and that played a key role in WW2 Think about Joe Kennedy Jr that lost hios life to liberate France The Cedre Imperial should be protected as a historic Monument. This might be more important than the "optimisation" of your real estate portfolio. There are so many other places in Meudon that could host the municipal services your advisors wish to install on the grounds of the tree. have a look at the paintings children have made to save the tree Instagram:#cedreimperialmeudon |
