This was a bit controversial, apparently. As France's The Local (an English language publication that covers news about France) notes, France's Le Canard Enchain� reported that "Jean-Louis Georgelin, a French army general and Great Chancellor of the L�gion d'honneur, was none too pleased to receive the name of Dylan," citing the songwriter's anti-war songs like "Blowin' In The Wind," and "his pot-smoking past" (possibly using songs like "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35″ as evidence).

But in a letter to the daily Le Monde published on Sunday, Georgelin called the singer-songwriter an "exceptional artist" known in the United States and internationally as a "tremendous singer and great poet."

Previous American recipients of the Legion d'Honneur award include Wynton Marsalis and Elie Wiesel, as well as hundreds of World War II veterans.