First Mediterranean colloquium in Florence 3-6 October 1958, Preface Sadek SELLAM, Héritage editions

The Mediterranean conference organized in October 1958 in Florence was organized in response to the American project of “Mediterranean Pact”. Ahmed Boumendjel was allowed to present the Algerian point of view in front of intellectuals who refused to reduce the Mediterranean to a simple zone of military protection. By finding the right tone to plead the cause of peace before supporters of the decolonization of minds, this lawyer who became political director at the Ministry of Information of the GPRA ensured one more success for the other victories of Algerian war diplomacy.

The reissue of the proceedings of this colloquium recalls the multifaceted battles of the Algerians, as well as the role played by public opinion in general, and intellectuals in particular, in the outcome of the Franco-Algerian crisis.