OVERSEAS MEMBERS OF THE FRENCH UNION: STRUCTURE OF AREA ADMINISTRATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-01617A002700050001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 170
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 22, 2013
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: September 1, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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COPY NO. ilk;
MON an
OVERSEAS MEMBERS OF THE FRENCH UNION:
STRUCTURE OF AREA ADMINISTRATION
M- 16
,.=nt No. 0
C:=E in C1as. 0
MR'DECLASSIFIED'
Class. CHA=D TO: TS S- C
DDA emo, 4 Apr 77
Auth: DDA REG. 77 1733
Date; By; 0,/
Published September 1951
REMYT ARCHMS & KURDS EiM
IPVEORIEtY AMR USE
19R79-i6/712_111X
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
ARCHIVAL RECORD
PLEASE RETUP 1" 0
AGENCY ARCHIVES,
3 c?
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STAT
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OVERSEAS MEMBERS OF THIi. FRENCH UNION:
STRUCTURE OF AREA ADMINISTRATION
M-16
September 1951
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface
Status and Administrative' Organization of the French
Union
I. Introduction:.. ......
II. Membership; of the French Union .
? ? ? ' .
. ? ..
Page
1
? ? ? 2
Central Administration of the French Union ? ?
IV. Status. of Residents of the French Union
V. Regional Administrative Systems of the French
Union ? ? ? ? ? ....... ?
A. The Overseas Departments
1. Algeria
? ?
8
Central Government 8
b. Local Government
2. Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, and
French Guiana
10
12
a. Central Government . 12
b. Local Government 14
B. Overseas. Territories and Associated
Territories. 4 ... .... ? ? ? ? 15
1. Central Government 16
2. Local Government . . . . ..... . 17
C. Associated States and Protectorates . . . . 19
1. The Associated States-of Indochina . . 20
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Page
a. Vietnam . . . ... 22
b. Laos 23
c. Cambodia 23
2. The Protectorates of-Morocco and
Tunisia 24
a. Central Government ...... - 24
-b. Local Government - 27
Appendixes
I. Overseas Members of the French Union (with
Principal Island Dependencies)
A. -Overseas Departments (Departements
d'Outre-Mer) 33
1. Algeria (Algerie) 33
2.' French Guiana (Guyane frangaise) . 33
3. Guadeloupe 33
4. Martinique 34
5. Reunion 34
?B. ? Overseas Territories (Territoires
dtOutre-Mer) _ , 34
1. Comoro Islands (Comores) 34
? 2, French Equatorial Africa (Afrique-
Equatoriale franiaise) 34
31
French Establishments of India
(Etablissements francais de
35
4. French Establishments of Oceania
(Etablissements francai8 de
170ceanie) 35
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Appendixes Cont!d ) Page
5. -French Somaliland (COte francaise
des Somalis) 37
. French West Africa(.Afrique
Occidentale francaise). . ? ? ? 37
7. Madagascar 38
8. New Caledonia (Nouvelle Caldonie et
Dependances) 39
Saint-Pierre andyiquelon .(Saint-
Pierre et Miquelon) 4o
C. Associated 'Territories (Territoires
Associes). . . . .
,e
D. Associated States (Etats ASSoc14s) ?
?
41
41
E. Protectorates'(Protectorata).
41
II.
Overseas Representation in the French
Parliament and the Assembly of the
French Union
43
III,
Representative Assemblies in the Overseas
and Associated Territories . . ......
?
47
IV.
Administrative Divisions of Overseas Members
of the French Union
53
A. Overseas Departments
55
1. Algeria
55
a. Department of Alger
55
b. Department of Constantine .
?
61
c. Department of Oran
66
d. Territories of the South . . .
73
2. French Guiana
78
3. Guadeloupe
80
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Appendixes (Cont'd )
.4. Martinique . ?????????
Reunion . . ? ? ?
B. Overseas Territories 4 ? ? ."? ? ? ? ?
Page
82
84
86
1. Comoro Islands
86
2. French Equatorial Africa
87
Chad ? ? . . . ? ? . ?
, .
88
. Gabon ?
91
c. Middle Congo . .... , ?
?
93'
d. Ubangi-Shari . .
95
3. 'French Establishments Of India
? .
?
98
4. French.EstablishmentErof Oceania
5. French Somaliland
6. French West.Africa:.
100
104
105
a. Dahomey
106
? b. French Guinea ? ? ?
.
108
c. French Sudan .
??
110
d. Ivory Coast
112
e. Mauritania
115
f. Niger
117
g. Senegal
119
h. Upper Volta
121
7. 'Madagascar
123
8. Nuw.Caledonia
128
9. Saint-Pierre and Miquelon
131
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Appe!idixes (Cont'd )
C. Associated Territories
Page
132
1,
2.
French Cameroons
French Togoland ....... .
132-
136
D.
AssOciated States of Indochina . . . ? ?
137
1.
Cambodia
138
2.
Laos
139
3.
Vietnam: North Vietnam (Tonkin). . .
140
Vietnam: Central Vietnam (Annam) .
141
Vietnam: South Vietnam(Cochinchina.
143
Y.
Protectorates
145
1.
Morocco
145
a. Region of Agadir .
145
b. Region of Casablanca
147
c. Region of Fes
150
d. Region of Marrakech
153
e. Region of Meknes
156
f. Region of Oujda
159
g. Region of Rabat
160
2.
Tunisia
165
Maps
Following page
The,French Union (CIS 11735) 2
Indochina (CIA 12129). 20
This study has not been coordinated with the intelligence organi-
zations of the Departments of'State, the Army, the Navy, and the
Air Force.
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PREFACE:
The present report was compiled because several DB Govern-
ment agencies dealing with maps and geographic names have felt
the need for detailed information on the present administrative
status of various French dependencies in view of radical changes
that have occurred since 1945. The former concept of a colonial
empire has been replaced by the concept of a union of states
and territories -- a union which nevertheless retains many
centralist features. In many cases the legal relationships
of the different areas to metropolitan France and to each
other are highly complicated. Because the new system is still
in an evolutionary stage the relationships, in some respects,
are not well defined. Many of the postwar changes are more
apparent than real.
The report confines itself to a brief factual description of
the central governmental organs of the French Union, the status
of the individual overseas areas in the Union, the governmental
structure of the individual areas, and the internal administra-
tive divisions of each.. No evaluation of the Union or of the way
In which it functions is attempted, nor are political develop-
ments in regard to the Union discussed. For these aspects of
the question, the reader is referred to OIR Report No. 47440
15 August 1950.
The four appendixes to the present report provide informa-
tion on the individual overseas members of the French Union. In
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order that they may be used separately if the need arises, the
appendixes are arranged In tabular form for ready reference and
are fully documented.
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STATUS AND ADMINISTRATIVE QRGANIZATION
OF.ThE FRENGH UNION.
I. INTRODUCTION
The term "French Union" was first used in the, declaration
of the. French Government dated 24 March 1945, which proclaimed
theIndochinese Federation an integral part of such a union.
The.J"Union" was not finally defined' andestablished, however,.
until the adoption of the Constitution of the.Fourth?French
public on 27,0ctOber 1946.1 Title VIII of theonstitution'pro
vided the general framework for an entirely newxelationship-
between France and her overseas dependencies but left most of
the administrative details tO organic laws 'or later decisions.
The governmental regime of the French Union is a complex
combination of centralism and federalism. Although the over-
seas populations have been granted a greater opportunity for
self-government than they formerly held, the centralized con-
trol from Paris still dominates. The seat of authority remains
In the essentially metropolitan institutions of France. No
territory can secede from the Union or change Its status within
the Union without permission of the Parliament. Final authority
1. -Constitution of. the French Republic, 27 October 1946; Jour-
nal Official de la Republique Francaise, Lois et Decrets, 28
October 19461. pp.- 9166-9175. Hereafter this journal will be
referred to as Jl. Of.
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on the 1?asic local statute of each overseas area resides-in,the
french Government in Paris, although the Assembly of the French
Union and the appropriate local assembly are first consulted.
France remains indisputably sovereign.
The element of decentralization is achieved through the
?
three organs of the French Union se-blip by the Constitution:
the Presidency, the High Council, and the Assembly of the French
Union. Although the powers of these organs are meager at present,
and although one of them the High Council, has not yet held its
first session, the institutions within which a measure of self-
government may. gradually be developed have been established.
II. MENBERSHIP OF THE FRENCH UNION
According to Article 60 of the Constitution, the French.
Union comprises metropolitan France (European France, including
Corsica), the overseas departments and territories, and the
associated territories and states, whereas the French Republic
includes only metropolitan France and the overseas departments
and territories. Associated territories are administered as
part of the French Republic, although they are territories
under UN ,trusteeships. A list of the overseas members of the
French Union is given in Appendix I, and their locations are
shown on Map pIA 11735.
,
The overseas departments (departements d'outre-mer) are
political entities having, with BOMB exceptions determined by
law, the same legislative regime as departments of metropolitan
France.
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11735
?11=11?111MIN11111.MMINEMIEW
45 30 15 0 15 30 45 60 75 90 105 120 135 150
165
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