Alexandre Galopin, born on 26 September 1879 in Ghent and assassinated at his home in Etterbeek on 28 February 1944, had been governor of the Société Générale de Belgique, since March 1935, a major Belgian company, and chairman of the board of the motor and armaments company Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN).
He is regarded as a prominent figure of Belgian business leadership in the first half of the 20th century.
A civil engineer by training, and head of the general management of the “Fabrique Nationale” (FN) in Herstal (Liège) before 1914, he plays a crucial role in Paris during the First World War, in the standardized production of armaments—chiefly rifles—for the French and Belgian armies.
As an economic adviser to the Belgian government at the end of the war, he takes part in preparing and implementing the policy for reviving Belgian industry after 1918.
In 1919, he is among the Belgian experts involved in the negotiations of the Treaty of Versailles, which brings an end to the First World War. He represents the Belgian central bank at the “Banque des Règlements Internationaux” (BRI), established in 1930 in Basel.
Galopin is renowned for his role during the Second World War as head of the “Comité Galopin”, entrusted on 15 May 1940 with a “mission of confidence” by the Belgian government shortly before its departure for England. In this capacity, he plays a central part in shaping the economic and financial policy of occupied Belgium in the face of the Nazi regime.
In February 1944, Governor Galopin is assassinated at the request of Himmler, head of the SS.
After 1945, the decisions taken by Alexandre Galopin and his circle under Nazi occupation become the subject of judicial and historiographical debate.
Early years
Alexandre Galopin was born in Ghent, East Flanders in Belgium on 28 September 1879. Galopin comes from an intellectual family; his father having served first as professor of civil law and later as rector of the State University of Liège. There, he pursues studies in civil engineering, which he completes with distinction in 1902, before adding further training in Berlin, London, and Paris. He speaks both English and German.
Returning to Liège in 1904, he joins the “Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre” (FN), where, at his own request, he spends two years working alongside the labour force as a machine-tool fitter and industrial draughtsman. From the outset of his career, Galopin shows sensitivity to the workers’ conditions. He distinguishes himself through his organizational talents and equips FN with a state-of-the-art laboratory. In 1913, he becomes the company’s general director.
On the eve of the outbreak of war, FN produces not only hunting rifles but also weapons of war, ammunition, bicycles, motorcycles, automobiles, and trucks. Galopin plays a central role in this industrial diversification.
The First World War and exile in France
The German invasion of Belgium beginning on 2 August 1914 quickly places the Liège region at the mercy of the invader. Because of the strategic nature of the production, the FN board of directors decides to halt operations and close the factories. The German occupier places FN under sequestration and transfers its machine tools to German arsenals.
Galopin goes to Antwerp, where the Belgian army is regrouping and establishing a national stronghold. He then moves on to Le Havre, the city where the Belgian government has settled, and places himself at its disposal.
Meanwhile, the French government designates the socialist Albert Thomas as the organizer of military equipment production. Named Deputy Secretary of State for Artillery and Ammunition, he negotiates with the Belgian Prime Minister Charles de Broqueville the assignment of Galopin for the benefit of the French war effort. In exchange for the delivery of 15,000 rifles to the Belgian army stationed on the Yser, the Belgian government agrees to it.
Minister Thomas entrusts Galopin with the coordination of all light armament production by the French factories scattered across the country. Drawing inspiration from Taylorism, a North American method in vogue in the 1900s, Galopin implements a rigorous standardization of rifle part machining among the various factories, requiring only final assembly work. The “Galopin method” greatly increases productivity and makes it possible to deliver, within short deadlines, the essential armaments needed at the front. Galopin is then entrusted, with the support of Winston Churchill (British Minister of Munitions in 1917–1918), with applying the same method to the production of machine gun parts. And, from 1917, Galopin is entrusted with the mission of standardizing the production of aircraft engines.
At the end of the conflict, Alexandre Galopin is decorated with the Legion of Honour by the French government in recognition of his services.
The interwar period 1919-1939
International negotiations: the Treaty of Versailles and the “Banque des Règlements Internationaux” (BRI)
At the end of the war, Galopin actively participates in the ‘Consultative Committee’ created in October 1917 in Paris by the Minister of Economic Affairs, Paul Hymans, who is responsible for planning Belgium’s post-war economic policy and preparing the peace negotiations.
Appointed to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paul Hymans calls on Galopin to join the Belgian delegation at the peace conference sitting in Versailles in 1919.
Galopin involves himself in economic and financial matters, notably concerning the Belgian reparations to be claimed from defeated Germany.
As Regent of the “Banque Nationale de Belgique” (BNB), Galopin takes part in the meetings of the “Banque des Règlements Internationaux” (BRI) in Basel, which in the 1930s becomes a forum for consultation among central banks.
Industrial restructuring and reconstruction
At the end of the conflict, Galopin returns to Herstal as managing director and administrator of FN. The German shareholders are removed in favour of a Belgian anchoring. Galopin drives the development of the “engines” division, seeking to diversify the company’s outlets following the decline in arms sales. He recruits a new wave of engineers and technicians and creates, within FN, a vocational training school as early as 1921. Galopin equips FN with new machine tools, enabling the standardization of parts and an increase in productivity.
The “Société Générale de Belgique” (SGB), the country’s principal holding company, has been the majority shareholder of FN since 1919. Galopin is called by Governor Jean Jadot to join the management of SGB. He entrusts him with the reorganization and modernization of the Belgian coal industry, a sector dominated by SGB. To remedy the weak competitiveness of the Borinage coal mines, Galopin restructures the operating sites and creates an industrial complex in Hainaut. The valorization of coal is promoted through the establishment of the companies “Carbonisation centrale” and “Carbochimique.” Beyond the rationalization of production, Galopin promotes the cartelization of the coal industry in agreement with Evence III Coppée, who represents the interests of the “Banque de Bruxelles” in the sector. Galopin remains one of the principal decision makers in the Belgian coal industry, and this continues until his death in 1944.
Galopin represents SGB in numerous industrial enterprises, primarily in the metallurgical sector, including “S.A. John Cockerill” and “La Providence.” He remains managing director of FN until 1932. In 1932, Galopin becomes vice-governor of SGB. In March 1935, he succeeds Emile Francqui as governor of SGB, a holding company that at the time controls nearly 30% of the Belgian economy. In this capacity, he chairs both the executive committee and the board of directors.
Following the lessons drawn from the 1929 crash on the New York Stock Exchange, the Belgian legislator separates holding-company activities from deposit banking. Galopin is also appointed to preside over the “Banque de la Société Générale” between 1935 and 1939. In this capacity, he becomes involved in negotiations with the Minister of Finance, Max-Léo Gérard, concerning monetary reform. He thwarts the Socialist Party’s plan to establish control over holding companies.
As a member of the “permanent committee” of the “Société nationale des chemins de fer belges” (SNCB) between 1926 and 1935, he initiates an internal system of social insurance and organizes joint relations with the trade unions. He also becomes involved in the “Fonds national de la recherche scientifique” (FNRS), founded in 1928, where he promotes the interconnection between industry and universities.
World War II
Under Galopin’s impetus, SGB takes measures to safeguard its interests on the eve of the outbreak of the Second World War. Significant capital is transferred abroad, notably to the Congo and to the United States. The governor proposes to remain in occupied Belgium, while administrators with full powers are appointed outside the national territory, particularly to ensure the management of subsidiaries located in the Belgian Congo. Galopin, together with the management of SGB, is fully aware of the strategic importance of Congolese uranium owned by the “Union Minière du Haut Katanga” (UMHK). Edgar Sengier, director of both SGB and UMHK, is chosen by the SGB board of directors and, endowed with broad management mandates, leaves to settle in New York. In 1938, Sengier orders that half of the uranium stock in the Congo be transferred to a warehouse at the port of New York. These uranium reserves are later made available to the U.S. Army by him, enabling the production of the first atomic bombs.
Leader of the policy of “presence” in the face of the Nazi occupier
Belgium was invaded by Nazi Germany on 10 May 1940. On the eve of its departure from Brussels, the Belgian government, represented by Ministers Paul-Henri Spaak and Camille Gutt, summons business leaders on 15 May 1940. At this meeting, the bankers Galopin (SGB), Max-Léo Gérard (Banque de Bruxelles), and Fernand Collin (Kredietbank) are informed that the government, in view of the German advance, wishes to keep trusted officials in occupied Belgium who will closely follow events and provide advice. In response to a question from Galopin, Spaak and Gutt acknowledge that concessions may be granted to the occupier in the economic sphere, in order to ensure the survival of the country. The bankers receive from the government a “mission of trust” of a general nature, accompanied by a specific mission consisting in ensuring the payment of the salaries of state employees. To this end, Gutt entrusts Galopin with a blank Treasury bond, intended to cover the financial commitments of the banks in the name of the Belgian state. The protagonists are unaware of the subsequent, unpredictable events: the capitulation of France, Leopold III’s decision to remain in occupied Belgium, the departure of part of the government to London, and so on.
Mandated by the government-in-exile, the bankers gather around Governor Galopin in an informal committee nicknamed the “Comité Galopin”. During the first months of the Occupation, the “Comité Galopin” plays a crucial role in restoring transport, logistics (post, telegraph, and telephone), and distribution networks (electricity, coal, gas, water), in order to curb mass unemployment and revive economic activity. From mid-June 1940, a public company, the PTT announces the resumption of its activities in postal, telegraphic, and telephone communications. Galopin urges the restoration of railway traffic by the SNCB. The ministerial departments directed by the general secretaries continue to function normally. The objective is not only to restart the Belgian economy, but also to prevent German control over all strategic networks, which Governor Galopin and his entourage seek to keep in Belgian hands.