The name of Jean Monnet (1888−1979) — architect of the European Community — is unknown to the Russian reader. It is absent even in the «Big Encyclopedic Dictionary». Meanwhile, he was an outstanding man, whose nobility and intelligence helped the peoples of Europe to overcome the post-war hatred of Germany and lay the foundations of a new world. His «Memoirs», translated into Russian for the first time, will be of interest to everyone who cares about the future of Russia and its aspirations to become a civilized partner for the current European Union.