Louis Kahn, 71, former chief of engineering of the French Navy, and president of the Jewish Consistoire of France, died here Friday. Mr. Kahn had been ousted from his naval post with the advent of the Vichy Government, and joined the Free French forces under Gen. Charles de Gaulle in 1942 in London, where he worked with the Allies on antisubmarine warfare. He directed the postwar salvaging of the French fleet and bases while serving as Gen. de Gaulle’s chief of naval construction.
A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, Mr. Kahn held several posts for scientific research. When he retired, he was Secretary-General of the Armed Forces in charge of technical and financial coordination of military programs. As president of the Jewish Consistoire, he headed the representative body of the entire French Jewish community. For his distinguished services to the French nation, he received the French Legion of Honor award.
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