Marthe Richard
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Marthe Richard, née Betenfeld (1889–1982) was a prostitute and spy. She later became a politician and worked towards the closing of brothels in France in 1946.
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Early life
In Nancy, she became an apprentice to a tailor at fourteen, but later was registered as a prostitute in 1905. After a soldier accused her of giving him syphilis, she was forced to leave for Paris, where she met and later wed Henry Richer in 1907. He was a rich industrialist who worked at Les Halles.
In 1912, her husband bought himself a plane and she flew it for the first time in 1913. She claimed in the press at the time to have broken the female record for the Le Crotoy–Zurich trip. She actually only flew to Burgundy where it was shipped by train to the Zurich countryside and flew it into Zurich. However, the new record was approved.
Espionage
In 1914, she participated in the founding of L'Union Patriotique des Aviatrices Françaises and her husband died in World War I in 1916. She became a spy under Captain Ladoux thanks to her lover, a young Russian anarchist. As part of her duties, she became the mistress of Von Krohn, the head of the German Navy in Madrid. On their return to France, she discovered that Captain Ladoux was a double agent and he was placed under arrest.
She married Thomas Crompton in 1926. He was the financial director for the Rockefeller Foundation and patron of the restoration of the Petit Trianon. When he died unexpectedly in 1928 in Genève, she moved to Bougival and lived very well.
After being released from prison and restored to the post of commander, Captain Ladoux published his fictionalized Memoires in 1930. The volume about Richard, Marthe Richard, spy in the French service, was mostly an invention. She claimed half of the vast royalties and accepted the advice to write her own memoirs. Under the pseudonym of Richard she published the best seller, My life as a spy in the French service (adapted as a film in 1937) and instantly became a heroine of France. Under media pressure, her lover Édouard Herriot, French Prime Minister at the time, gave the widowed Mme Crompton the Légion d'honneur for Foreign Affairs.
During World War II, her courage was admired in France and she was hated in Germany. She got close to certain members of the Gestapo, including François Spirito.
Political career
In 1945, now famous as the "heroine of two wars," she was elected to the municipal council of the IVe arrondissement on the MRP ticket. When she was accused of claiming 300,000 francs for the release of a convicted German traitor, her reputation saved her. Also, her many contradictions raised skepticism among some people.
When the MRP wanted to outlaw prostitution, she tried to convince the municipal council, but they refused. Then on December 13, 1945, she presented her plan for the closing of brothels in the IVe arondissement. The proposition was passed, and they were closed within three months. Encouraged, Marthe Richard began a campaign to end prostitution in all of France. On December 19, 1945, in Le Canard enchaîné, Pierre Bénard wrote, "Il n'y a pas d'électricité. Il n'y a pas de charbon. Il n'y a pas de vin. Il n'y a pas de pommes de terre et les sinistrés attendent toujours un toit… Fuyant ces déprimants débats, les conseillers municipaux parisiens ont consacré deux longues séances à discuter de la suppression des maisons closes. Mme Marthe Richard, l'espionne bien connue a ouvert le débat!" (English: "There is no electricity. There is no coal. There is no wine. There are no potatoes and the disaster victims are without shelter… Fleeing these depressing times, the Parisian municipal councillors devoted two long meetings to the removal of brothels. Mme Marthe Richard, the famous spy, began the debate!"
On April 9, 1946, Marcel Roclore, Minister of State, presented the Commission's report on the population and public health, and concluded that closing the brothels was a necessity. Pierre Dominjon proposed a bill for this purpose. The bill, now known as La loi Marthe Richard, was passed with the votes of an alliance of the Christian democrat MRP and the Communists.
On April 13, 1946, the prostitution registry was destroyed and 1,400 brothels were closed, including 180 in Paris. Many brothels were converted into hotels, which prostitutes continued to use. Prostitution was still legal, though many acts surrounding it were made illegal.
Nationality controversy
A controversy surrounding her nationality came up in 1948. She was English by her marriage to Thomas Crompton (her repatriation was denied in 1937). Thus, her election was illegal as were the votes she had participated in.
Meanwhile, the director of Le Crapouillot, Jean Galtier-Boissière denounced her services to the nation, accusing her of involvement with organized crime, of smuggling jewels, and of covering up crimes. The inspector of national safety, Jacques Delarue, a specialist in false heroes of war, inquired into the accusations. He found them to be false in 1954. She was called Le Veuve Qui Clôt (a pun on Veuve Clicquot) by Antoine Blondin.
Later life
She went on to write erotic fiction and published a few books. In Appel des sexes she reconsidered her position on prostitution somewhat. She also gave seminars about her time as a spy.
She died in 1982. She was 92 years old.
