Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer (; 20 March 191629 August 2007) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...

from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since

Étienne François, duc de Choiseul Étienne, a French analog of Stephen or Steven, is a masculine given name. An archaic variant of the name, prevalent up to the mid-17th century, is Estienne. Étienne, Etienne, Ettiene or Ettienne may refer to: People Artists and entertainers * ...

under

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

– and then as

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

under

Georges Pompidou Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( ; ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously served as Prime Minister of France under President Charles de Gaulle from 19 ...

from 1972 to 1974. A member of the French Foreign Legion, he was considered one of the historical Gaullists, and died aged 91 in the

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...

of the Val-de-Grâce in August 2007. He was elected a member of the ''

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

'' in 1999; his seat was taken over by Simone Veil.Thomas Ferenczi
Le gaulliste Pierre Messmer est mort
, ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'', 29 August 2007

Early career

Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was born in Vincennes in 1916. He graduated in 1936 in the language school ENLOV and the following year at the '' Ecole nationale de la France d'outre-mer'' (National School of Oversea France). He then became a senior civil servant in the colonial administration and became a Doctor of Laws in 1939. In the outbreak of World War II, he was sous-lieutenant of the 12th regiment of Senegalese tirailleurs, and refused France's capitulation after the defeat. He then hijacked in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

an Italian cargo ship (the ''Capo Olmo''), along with his friend Jean Simon (a future French General), and sailed first to Gibraltar, then London and engaged himself in the

Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...

as a member of the 13th Demi-Brigade of the French Foreign Legion. Messmer then participated to the campaign in Eritrea, in Syria, in Libya, participating to the Battle of Bir Hakeim, and in the Tunisia campaign. He also fought at the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt.Messmer, légionnaire et baron gaulliste
, ''

Radio France International Radio France Internationale, usually referred to as RFI, is the State media, state-owned international radio news network of France. With 59.5 million listeners in 2022, it is one of the most-listened-to international radio stations in the world ...

'', 30 August 2007 He joined in London General Koenig's military staff and participated in the landings in Normandy in August 1944 and the Liberation of Paris. Named '' Compagnon de la Libération'' in 1941, he received the '' Croix de guerre'' (War Cross) with six citations after the Liberation, as well as the medal of the Resistance.

After World War II

After World War II, he returned to the colonies and was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

of the Vietminh, during two months in 1945, after the outbreak of the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...

. He was named the following year general secretary of the interministerial committee for

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia (historically known as Indochina and the Indochinese Peninsula) is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to th ...

and then head of staff of the high commissary of the Republic.

Colonial administrator in Africa

Messmer began his high-level African service as governor of

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

from 1952 to 1954, and then served as governor of

Ivory Coast Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest List of ci ...

from 1954 to 1956, when he briefly returned to Paris in the staff of Gaston Defferre, Minister of Overseas Territories who enacted the Defferre Act granting to colonial territories internal autonomy, a first step towards independence. That same year, Messmer was nominated as governor general of

Cameroun Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

, where a civil war had started the preceding year following the outlawing of the independentist Union of the Peoples of Cameroon (UPC) in July 1955. He initiated a

decolonization Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby Imperialism, imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholar ...

process and imported the counter-revolutionary warfare methods theorized in Indochina and implemented during the

Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

(1954–62).David Servenay
Pierre Messmer, un soldat que le Cameroun n'a pas oublié
, '' Rue 89'', 30 August 2007 Visiting de Gaulle in Paris, he was implicitly granted permission for his change of policies in Cameroon, which exchanged repression for negotiations with the UPC. A "Pacification Zone" – the ZOPAC (''Zone de pacification du Cameroon'') was created on 9 December 1957, englobing 7,000 square km controlled by seven infantry regiments. Furthermore, a civilian-military intelligence apparatus was created, combining colonial and local staff, assisted by a civilian militia.

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

's people's war was reversed in an attempt to separate the civilian population from the guerrilla. In that aim, the local population was rounded up in guarded villages located on the main roads that were controlled by the French Army. Messmer served as high commissioner of

French Equatorial Africa French Equatorial Africa (, or AEF) was a federation of French colonial territories in Equatorial Africa which consisted of Gabon, French Congo, Ubangi-Shari, and Chad. It existed from 1910 to 1958 and its administration was based in Brazzav ...

from January 1958 to July 1958, and as high commissioner of

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

from 1958 to 1959.

Minister of Armies (1959–1969)

From 1959 to 1969, under

's presidency and in the turmoil of the

, he was Minister of Armies. He was confronted with the 1961 Generals' Putsch, reorganised the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

and adapted it to the nuclear era. In 1960, Messmer visited Lisbon and expressed lament for the United Nations resolutions against colonialism and approved of the '' Estado Novo'' regime's hardline stance against decolonisation on the grounds that Portugal represented the last vestige of white Western civilisation on the African continent. Messmer gave permission for former

veterans to fight in Katanga against the newly independent Congo and

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

peacekeeping forces. He confided to

Roger Trinquier Roger Trinquier (20 March 1908 – 11 January 1986) was a French Army officer during World War II, the First Indochina War and the Algerian War, serving mainly in airborne and special forces units. He was also a counter-insurgency theorist, ma ...

that it was de Gaulle's ambition to replace the Belgians and control a reunited Congo from Élisabethville. Along with the Minister of Research, Gaston Palewski, Messmer was present at the Béryl nuclear test in Algeria, on 1 May 1962 during which an accident occurred. Officials, soldiers, and Algerian workers escaped as they could, often without wearing any protection. Palewski died in 1984 of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

, which he always has attributed to the Beryl incident, and Messmer always remained close-mouthed on the affair.La bombe atomique en héritage
''

L'Humanité (; ) is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organisation of the SFIO, ''de facto'', and thereafter of the French Communist Party (PCF), and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, would not exist." History ...

'', 21 February 2007 De Gaulle said that along with Maurice Couve de Murville, Messmer was "one of his two arms. " In May 68, he advised de Gaulle against the use of the military. Messmer became a personality of the Gaullist Party and was elected deputy in 1968, representing

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; ; ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A sm ...

''département''. A member of the conservative wing of the Gaullist movement, he criticised the "New Society" plan of Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas and thus won the trust of

, elected President in 1969. He quit the government after de Gaulle's resignation and founded the association ''Présence du gaullisme'' (Presence of Gaullism).

From the 1970s to the 2000s

He occupied cabinet positions again in the 1970s, serving first as

Minister of state Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...

charged of the Overseas Territories in 1971,Discours de politique générale
(General Politics Speech) of Messmer during his 1972 investiture, French government's website then as Prime Minister from July 1972 to May 1974.

Messmer's cabinet (July 1972 – May 1974)

He succeeded in this function to Jacques Chaban-Delmas, who had adopted a parliamentary reading of the

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

, which Messmer opposed in his investiture speech. Messmer had been chosen by Pompidou as a guarant of his fidelity to de Gaulle, and his cabinet included personalities close to Pompidou, such as

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...

, named Minister of Agriculture.Le gouvernement de Pierre Messmer
, politique.net, Due to President

's illness, he dealt with the everyday administration of the country and adopted a conservative stance opposed to Chaban-Delmas' previous policies. Henceforth, he stopped the liberalization of the ORTF media governmental organization, naming as its CEO Arthur Conte, a personal friend of Pompidou. Under his government, the Union des Démocrates pour la République (UDR) presidential majority negotiated with Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's Independent Republicans an electoral alliance, which enabled it to win the 1973 elections despite the left-wing union realized with the 1972

Common Program The Common Program was the primary general policy document passed by the First plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Septembe ...

. Messmer's second cabinet excluded several Gaullists, among whom Michel Debré, while he named several Independent Republicans members, such as Michel Poniatowski, close to Giscard, himself named Minister of Economy and Finances. A Ministry of Information was also re-created and put under the authority of an ultra-conservative, Philippe Malaud. In June 1974, he initiated the construction of 13 nuclear plants in order to confront the "'' choc pétrolier''" (oil crisis). In 1974, when Pompidou died, those close to Messmer encouraged him to run for president. He accepted at the condition of Chaban-Delmas, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Edgar Faure's withdrawals. Faure accepted, as well as Giscard on the condition that Chaban-Delmas also withdrew himself. However, Chaban-Delmas, despite the '' Canard enchaîné''s campaign against him, maintained himself, leading Messmer to withdraw his candidacy. Finally, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, a conservative rival of the Gaullists, was elected. He served as prime minister for another few weeks after Pompidou's death, ending his term after the presidential elections.

replaced him on 29 May 1974. After the election of Giscard, he never held again ministerial offices, and became one of the historical voices of Gaullism.

Later career and death

Messmer remained a Member of Parliament for the Moselle department until 1988, and served as President of the

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

regional assembly from 1968 to 1992. He was mayor of the town of Sarrebourg from 1971 to 1989. Messmer was also president of the Rally for the Republic (RPR) parliamentary group during the first

cohabitation Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not legally married live together as a couple. They are often involved in a Romance (love), romantic or Sexual intercourse, sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. ...

(1986–1988), under

's government. In 1997 he testified as a witness during the trial of Maurice Papon, charged of crimes against humanity committed under the Vichy regime, and declared: "The time has come when the Frenchmen could stop hating themselves and begin to grant pardon to themselves". Along with some other former Resistants, he demanded Papon's pardon in 2001. He died in 2007 aged 91, just four days after fellow Prime Minister Raymond Barre. He was the last surviving major French Politician to have been a member of the Free French forces.

Political career

Governmental functions *Prime Minister: 1972–1974 *Minister of State, Minister of Departments and Overseas Territories: 1971–1972 *Minister of Armies: 1960–1969 Electoral mandates ''National Assembly'' *Member of the National Assembly of France for

: 1969–1971, 1974–1988 ''Regional Council'' *President of the Regional Council of

: 1978–1979 *Regional councillor of

: 1968–1992 ''General Council'' *General councillor of

: 1970–1982 ''Municipal Council'' *Mayor of Sarrebourg: 1971–1989 *Municipal councillor of Sarrebourg: 1971–1989

Honours

An important figure of the French Resistance during World War II, Pierre Messmer was a member of the Ordre de la Libération, and the recipient of numerous decorations including the highest rank of the Légion d'honneur. In 2006, he was named Chancellier de l'Ordre de la Libération after the death of General Alain de Boissieu. He was also an officer of the American Legion. In 1992 he became president of the Institut Charles de Gaulle and, in 1995, of the Fondation Charles de Gaulle. He also became elected as a member of the

(the French language academy) in 1999, replacing a Gaullist comrade, Maurice Schumann. He was also a member of the French Academy of Moral and Political Sciences since 1988, and, since 1976, of the Académie des sciences d'outre-mer (Academy of Sciences of Overseas Territories). He was named perpetual secretary of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in 1995.Pierre Messmer est mort
, ''Le Figaro'', 29 August 2007 He was also chancellor of the Institut de France (1998–2005) before becoming honorary chancellor. In October 2001, Messmer succeeded to the General Jean Simon as President of the ''Fondation de la France libre'' (Foundation of Free France).

National

*: **

Grand Cross of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (1993) ** Grand Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honour (1974)

Foreign

*: **

Bintang Republik_Indonesia Adipradana Ribbon1

Star of the Republic of Indonesia, 2nd Class (1972)

Messmer's First Ministry, 5 July 1972 – 2 April 1973

*Pierre Messmer – Prime Minister *Maurice Schumann – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Michel Debré – Minister of National Defense *Raymond Marcellin – Minister of the Interior * Valéry Giscard d'Estaing – Minister of Economy and Finance *Jean Charbonnel – Minister of Industrial and Scientific Development *Joseph Fontanet – Minister of National Education, Labour, Employment, and Population *René Pleven – Minister of Justice *André Bord – Minister of Veterans *Jacques Duhamel – Minister of Cultural Affairs *

– Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development *Olivier Guichard – Minister of Housing, Tourism, Equipment, and Regional Planning *Robert Galley (French politician), Robert Galley – Minister of Transport *Jean Foyer – Minister of Public Health *Hubert Germain – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications *Yvon Bourges – Minister of Commerce *Roger Frey – Minister of Administrative Reforms * Edgar Faure – Minister of Social Affairs Changes *15 March 1973 – André Bettencourt succeeds Schumann as interim Minister of Foreign Affairs. *16 March 1973 – Pierre Messmer succeeds Pleven as interim Minister of Justice.

Messmer's Second Ministry, 6 April 1973 – 1 March 1974

*Pierre Messmer – Prime Minister *Michel Jobert – Minister of Foreign Affairs *Robert Galley – Minister of Armies *Raymond Marcellin – Minister of the Interior * Valéry Giscard d'Estaing – Minister of Economy and Finance *Jean Charbonnel – Minister of Industrial and Scientific Development *Georges Gorse – Minister of Labour, Employment, and Population *Jean Taittinger – Minister of Justice *Joseph Fontanet – Minister of National Education *André Bord – Minister of Veterans and War Victims *Maurice Druon – Minister of Cultural Affairs *

– Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development *Robert Poujade – Minister of Natural Protection and Environment *Bernard Stasi – Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories *Olivier Guichard – Minister of Housing, Tourism, Regional Planning, and Equipment *Yves Guéna – Minister of Transport *Joseph Comiti – Minister of Relations with Parliament * Michel Poniatowski – Minister of Public Health *Hubert Germain – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications * Philippe Malaud – Minister of Information *Jean Royer – Minister of Commerce and Craft Industry *Alain Peyrefitte – Minister of Administrative Reforms ''Changes'' *23 October 1973 – Philippe Malaud becomes Minister of Civil Service. Jean-Philippe Lecat succeeds Malaud as Minister of Information

Messmer's Third Ministry, 1 March – 28 May 1974

*Pierre Messmer – Prime Minister *Michel Jobert – Minister of Foreign Affairs *Robert Galley – Minister of Armies *

– Minister of the Interior * Valéry Giscard d'Estaing – Minister of Economy and Finance *Yves Guéna – Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Craft Industry *Georges Gorse – Minister of Labour, Employment, and Population *Jean Taittinger – Minister of Justice *Joseph Fontanet – Minister of National Education *Alain Peyrefitte – Minister of Cultural Affairs and Environment *Raymond Marcellin – Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development *Olivier Guichard – Minister of Regional Planning and Equipment *Hubert Germain – Minister of Relations with Parliament * Michel Poniatowski – Minister of Public Health *Jean Royer – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications *Jean-Philippe Lecat – Minister of Information Changes *11 April 1974 – Hubert Germain succeeds Royer as interim Minister of Posts and Telecommunications.

Bibliography

* 1939 ''Le Régime administratif des emprunts coloniaux.'' Thesis for his Doctorate of Laws (Librairie juridique et administrative) * 1977 ''Le Service militaire. Débat avec Jean-Pierre Chevènement'' (Balland) * 1985 ''Les Écrits militaires du général de Gaulle'', in collaboration with Professor Alain Larcan (PUF) * 1992 ''Après tant de batailles, Mémoires'' (Albin Michel) * 1998 ''Les Blancs s’en vont. Récits de décolonisation'' (Albin Michel) * 2002 ''La Patrouille perdue'' (Albin Michel) * 2003 ''Ma part de France'' (Xavier de Guibert)

References

External links

L'Organisation des Nations Unies et les guerres civiles
by Messmer
Museum of the Order of the Liberation page on Pierre Messmer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Messmer, Pierre 1916 births 2007 deaths People from Vincennes Companions of the Liberation French colonial governors and administrators French colonial people in Cameroon French prisoners of war in the 20th century Politicians of the French Fifth Republic Ministers of defence of France Ministers of justice of France Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni École nationale de la France d'Outre-Mer alumni Members of the Académie Française Members of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques Prime ministers of France Soldiers of the French Foreign Legion French Army personnel of World War II French Army officers Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) Rally for the Republic politicians Union of Democrats for the Republic politicians Ministers of the overseas of France French colonial governors of Mauritania