During the Occupation of France by Nazi Germany, Switzerland temporarily offered an important alternative for the french-speaking publishing industry and welcomed numerous artists and intellectuals from all over Europe. The poetry journal "Lettres" which was founded in Geneva by a group of critics in 1943 is a direct result of this extraordinary situation. The new publication quickly distinguishes itself by publishing not only the literary voices of the French Résistance, but also numerous translations of renowned european poets. This paper seeks to exlpore the reasons behind the creation of an international poetry journal in Geneva in 1943 and to establish how the translations it published shaped the periodical’s success. It will also look at the way "Lettres" inscribed itself within a wider network of publishers and journals who defied German censorship and helped insure the continued circulation of texts and ideas across Europe.