POLITICAL - ADMINISTRATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700210038-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 9, 2002
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: February 27, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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MAR 1952 o1-4%;
CLASSIF!CATIOH MS_TR_ICTED
SECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTEL.L'CEc CE AGENCY, REPORT NO
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD NO.
COUNTRY French Union
SUBJECT Political - Administration
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspaper
WHERE ,
PUBLISHED Dakar
DATE
PUBLISHED 4 Dec 1952
LANGUAGE French
TNI[ 0DCUN1$t CDNIIIN[ INIOIN A110M 111[CTIFD TN[ NITION AL DII{N[1
OF INl UNITED [TAT[[. ?111110 TNI N[AE INO 01 tItLE I{, SECTIONS 1St
END 714. Of TNl U.S. Cool. IS 1Nt.QgD. ITS TIANINIUIDN OS 5105.
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DATE OF
INFORMATION 1952
DATE DMST. P 7 Feb 1953
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
INTEGRATION OF OVERSEAS TERRITORIES INTO FRENCH UNION
fcomment: On 3 December 1952, the Council of the Republic (of
France) devoted itn attention to the problem of the integration of
France's overseas territories into the French Republic. Pierre Pflim-
lin, Minister of Overseas France, made a speech in reply to questions
posed by a number of council members, and the council adopted a repo
lution expressing its views on the subject. The following report is
a summary of the account given on this matter by the Dakar daily,
?aris-Dakar, of 4 December 1952_7
French Guinea Representative Calls for Statement of Principles
At a recent session of the Council of the Republic, Raphael Saller, IOM
(Independent d'Outre-Mer, Overseas Independent) member from French Guinea,
asked Pierre Pflimlin. Minister of Overseas France, for a statement of the
principles and means whereby the French government intends to guarantee the fol-
lowing to the peoples of the overseas territories and associated territories of
the French Republic:
1. The rights, freedoms, and political institutions, as well as the admin-
istrative organization promised by the Constitution of 27 October 1946, which
are intended to safeguard the general interests of both Metropolitan France and
the above-mentioned territories.
2. An economic and social structure which satisfies both the exigencies
of the modern world and the local traditions of the territories.
In expressing his viewpoint, Seller made the following statement:
"We certainly do not have the right to determine the orientation of the
political evolution of the overseas territories; they must do this themselves,
and our role should consist in giving them the means of making their choice.
Under present conditions, with the world divided into two ideologies, it is
equally important to Metropolitan France and to the overseas territories to
preserve their solidarity.
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"As for France, its rank, its economic power, even its independence is at
snake. Where, in fact, would she rank among world powers with Just her 40 mil-
lion inhabitants? Thus, France has an imperative need for the overseas terri-
tories.
"It is just as obvious that the territories have great need of France. It
is well known that the Africans get along better with the French than with other
nationalities. To become modern nations, these territories lack, not the capac
ity, but capital and technical knowledge. They know that in today's struggle
for economic power and influence, there is no longer any place for small coun-
tries. Unless they are to renounce their emancipation, they need the presence
of a more highly uaveloped nation to guide and help them, and this nation can
only be France."
Other Council Members Expross their Viewpoints
French Senator, Suzanne Schreiber Cremieux, a member of the RGR (Rassemble-
ment des Gauches Republicaines, Rally of Republican Leftists), who knows the
Black African territories well, having visited them four times, made the fol-
lowing statement in the course of the discusuion;
"People have spoken of, and will continue to speak of, the wealth of the
soil. As for myself, I have been especially interested in places where poverty
has been the rule. I am especially familiar with poorly exploited lands ravaged
by famine. To relieve the deficit in human resources which some speakers have
mentioned, we must fir-it feed the people, treat their illnesses, and then teach
them.
".'.r+'tedly, I have seen extraordinary administrators, and exceptional
women assisting them. On the whole, however, they think too much in terms of
administration and too little in terms of social needs. Some of them do not
even know what a social worker is. The missionary societies understand this
problem well, and the African members of their sisterhoods, thanks to their
knowledge of the dialects and customs, render great service.
"We must also teach. We have built many schools, it is true, but have we
thought of teaching agricultural and manual skills in keeping with the possibil-
ities of the territories? We have been criticized for turning out college grad-
uates, which we undoubtedly need; but they are not sufficient. We must think
above all of educating the African woman.."
During the session on 3 December 1952, Louis Ignacio-Pinto, RI (Republi-
cains Independants, Independent Republicans) member from Dahomey, emphasized
the need to modernize and equip the territories.
Pflimlin Emphasizes Determination for Unity
Answering miscellaneous questions on interpretation of the Constitution in
matters pertaining to assimilation and association of the peoples of the French
Union, Pflimlin emphasized that the Council of the Republic was now dealing
with territories integrated into one indivisible republic. "That is the firm
ground on which I intend to stand," he added.
"It in important to note," continued Pflimlin, "that, contrary to historic
European precedent, we began by establishing th- territorial assemblies. We
shouted now be concerned with instituting the local assemblies in which the peo-
ple will receive training in democracy. These assemblies must not be carbon
copies of Metropolitan French institutions; we owe it to ourselves to demon-
strate o'ir ingenuity."
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Having emphasized that a source of French pride Is "the citizenship we
have conferred on all peoples of the French Union," the minister declared that
he would have wished that certain skeptics (sometimes to be found at assemblies
of even the highest international 1rvel), could have witnessed this debate,
because it proved that the overseas representatives express themselves with the
same freedom and authority as those of Metropolitan France.
Referring to relations between the French Union and the European community,
and to the Strasbourg Plan in particular, Pflimli.n declared that he could not
help but share the uneasiness of those who feared that the French Uuion might
become the common property of the European community. "That," he said, "would
be to show a low regard for a national heritage and a living reality, not to
mention considerable interests,"
However, Pflimlin said he would not entirely agree with Michel Debre, RPF
in the latter's attempt to establish a chronological connection between the
French Union and the Western European Unicn.
In economic matters, Pflimlin emphasized the effective solidarity between
Metropolitan France and the far-flung French territories. Developing this
point, he stated. "We must lead underdeveloped countries toward a progressive
economic development. Experience tc ..bes us trait it is difficult to make un-
equally developed communities live together under the same economy. The only
way to succeed in this task ie to protect new Industries in new countries and
to develop productivity simultaneously with the raising of the standard of liv-
'.ng. Therefore, we must not limit ourselves to generous but dispersed efforts;
we must develop a plan which has been carefully conceived so that individual
efforts will be additive and not neutralize each other.
"There is no opposition, and there must be none, between the social. and
economic factor," Pflimlin continued. "Certainly, the latter is only a means;
our goal is the human being. Nevertheless, we must not fail to recognize that
social development should rest on an economic basis. The advantages of joint
economic and social development are manifested in the increased purchasing
power which improves living conditions for the entire population.
"In matters of foreign trade," he said, "we are not absolutely free, espe-
cially to establish protective tariffs or to fix quotas of distribution- We
have had to choose or to make adaptations according to the territ"rtes or the
products. But the essential idea has been to allow the idea of preference to
prevail without pushing protectionism too far."
Pflimlin acknowledged that the protection of French overseas products
against foreign competition on the French market has at times been insufficient
or even nonexistent but added that France's shortage of foreign exchange often
produced results tantamount to protection.
Pflimlin stated that in 1951, exports from the French Overseas Territories
to France and the French Union reached 129 billion francs, or 78 percent of
their total exports. Inversely, 197 billion francs, or 78 percent, of the im-
ports of the French Overseas Territories were from France or from the. French
Union,
"This solidarity in the economic order," concluded Pflimlin, "must be ac,-
ccunpanied by a will for unity in the political rrder and decentralization in
the overseas institutions. The people of Africa and Madagascar have chosen
the French Union, which respects their autonomy and personality, their true
progress and freedom. While ignoring our disparagers, we can demonstrate to
the world that, in contrast to those political structures where only force is
able to maintain unity, it has been possible tar French genius to establish a
vast community of which the keystone is singleness of purpose.
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Council Supports Decentralization and Equal Rights
At the close of the discussion, the senators adopted 'a. resolution by Sal-
16r and Lafleur asking the French government "to perfect the integration of the
overseas territories into the French Republic by applying a policy of decentrali-
zation and solidarity which would guarantee the following:
1. The material and spiritual well-being of the people through the devel-
opment of economic activities, intellectual emancipation, and the exercise of
the political freedoms recognized by the Constitution.
2. The indivisibility of the French Republic and the unity of its parti-
cipation in international and suprai.ational organisms without any distinction
between its constituent territories.
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