Janvier 1959
1974
Secrétariat général à la présidence de la République pour la Communauté et les affaires africaines et malgaches
France. Présidence de la République. Secrétariat général pour les affaires africaines et malgaches (1959-1974)
Le secrétariat général de la Communauté est consubstantiellement lié aux réformes institutionnelles de la Ve République. Ce service est créé en janvier 1959 ; il est défini par le titre XII « de la Communauté » de la constitution de la Ve République du 4 octobre 1958. De janvier 1959 à mars 1960, Raymon Janot est secrétaire général de la Communauté ; à l'issue du 7e et ultime conseil exécutif de la Communauté de mars 1960, Jacques Foccart devient secrétaire général de la Communauté jusqu'à sa dissolution finale en 1974. Il porte successivement le nom de secrétariat général de la Communauté (1959-1961) puis de de secrétariat général des Affaires africaines et malgaches et de la Communauté (1961-1974) ; de fait, il est connu sous le titre de secrétariat général des Affaires africaines et malgaches dès 1961 (voir infra).
Le secrétariat général de la Communauté est le fruit de la réforme de décembre 1958 du ministère de la France d'outre-mer (ancien ministère des Colonies), qui préside à la séparation politique entre les territoires coloniaux promis à l'indépendance à court terme (Afrique occidentale française – AOF –, Afrique équatoriale française – AEF – et Madagascar), d'une part, et les DOM-TOM destinés à rester associés à la République, d'autre part (certains TOM, comme les Comores ou Djibouti, ont été ultérieurement décolonisés sous Valéry Giscard d'Estaing). La IVe République a été emportée par la crise coloniale et ses guerres en Asie et en Afrique ; à l'heure où le principal défi du nouveau régime consiste à trouver une issue à la guerre d'Algérie, le général de Gaulle confie à Jacques Foccart la mission de réussir la décolonisation de l'Afrique subsaharienne, tout en y maintenant l'influence française en pleine guerre froide, gage de l'indépendance internationale de la France entre les deux blocs. De là naît la stratégie du « pré carré ». Pour garantir cette transition « d'un âge historique vers un autre », selon les propres termes du général de Gaulle, l'Union française fondée sous la IVe République est liquidée ; le référendum constitutionnel du 28 septembre 1958 instaure la Communauté franco-africaine. Elle doit permettre, dès la fin 1958, la création de Républiques africaines qui jouissent de l'autonomie interne, dans l'esprit de la loi-cadre Defferre de 1956. À court terme, et sous le parrainage de la France, ces républiques doivent accéder à la souveraineté internationale. L'année 1960 consacre les indépendances de l'Afrique francophone. De 1958 à 1960, le président de la République est simultanément président de la Communauté. De même qu'il existe un secrétariat général de la Présidence de la République, le général de Gaulle crée un secrétariat général de la Communauté. De toutes les institutions communautaires, seul le secrétariat général a réellement fonctionné.
De jure, la Communauté n'est pas abolie avec les indépendances de 1960 : il faut attendre la réforme de la politique africaine menée par le Gouvernement de Lionel Jospin à partir de 1997 pour que soit supprimé le titre XII « de la Communauté » de la constitution de la Ve République. Mais, de facto, et malgré les protestations de l'abbé Fulbert Youlou, président de la République du Congo-Brazzaville, la Communauté a perdu de sa substance avec les indépendances : Jacques Foccart en prend conscience et acte ce changement en rebaptisant en mai 1961 son service « le secrétariat général des Affaires africaines et malgaches et de la Communauté », et en faisant évoluer son organisation et ses missions vers des horizons de plus en plus politiques.
Le secrétariat général est liquidé par deux fois : en 1969, de manière temporaire, lors de l'intérim d'Alain Poher à la suite de la démission de Charles de Gaulle (mais sitôt élu, Georges Pompidou restaure Foccart dans ses fonctions et officialise son retour le 26 juin 1969) ; et en 1974, de manière définitive, avec le nouvel intérim d'Alain Poher puis l'élection de Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Le secrétariat général laisse toutefois une empreinte fondatrice dans l'Élysée de la Ve République : les héritiers du général de Gaulle découvrent que l'existence d'un « Monsieur Afrique » placé directement à leur droite constitue une clé essentielle du domaine réservé présidentiel, au carrefour entre politique étrangère et autorité post-coloniale en pleine guerre froide – et au-delà. Le secrétariat général laisse donc place à une structure certes plus modeste, mais non moins influente, tant elle reste en prise directe avec le président, par-delà les départements ministériels et les conseillers présidentiels : la cellule Afrique de l'Élysée.
À sa création en 1959, le secrétariat général de la Communauté est installé à l'hôtel de Noirmoutier, rue de Grenelle. Le service y reste jusqu'en 1970, date à laquelle il s'installe au 2 rue de l'Élysée dans des bâtiments nouvellement acquis par la présidence. Ce déménagement constitue une première coupe archivistique : tous les dossiers définitivement clos passent des bureaux ou des couloirs de l'hôtel de Noirmoutier aux caves et aux armoires de la rue de l'Élysée. La seconde coupe archivistique est naturellement datée de 1974.
Sous Raymond Janot, le secrétariat général est composé de quatre cellules, chacune dirigée par un conseiller technique : affaires juridiques et internationales, relations bilatérales avec les États de la Communauté, affaires économiques et financières, et affaires culturelles, techniques, enseignement et information. Ces quatre domaines préfigurent quelques-unes des principales missions du secrétariat général après 1960 : affaires politiques et internationales, affaires économiques et financières, et politique de coopération. Lorsque Jacques Foccart remplace Raymond Janot en mars 1960, il assouplit le fonctionnement. Tout en attachant un grand soin à conserver des chargés de mission africains issus des États de la Communauté, il ne conserve qu'un seul conseiller technique qui devient son véritable bras droit et le grand ordonnateur de la vie du secrétariat général, Foccart partageant jusqu'en 1970 son emploi du temps quotidien entre l'hôtel de Noirmoutier et le palais de l'Élysée. Cette fonction est remplie tour à tour par Alain Plantey (1960-1967), puis René Journiac (1967-1974). Le conseiller technique est l'interface avec l'équipe de chargés de mission qui communiquent essentiellement avec le secrétaire général à travers leur note quotidienne préparatoire à l'entretien vespéral avec le chef de l'État. Au fil des années, avec le renouvellement des collaborateurs, Foccart procède à la redéfinition du cadre du secrétariat général en quittant la logique de cellules à compétence technique (héritée de Janot) pour tendre vers des missions de suivi des affaires politiques (avec découpages géographiques autour du « pré carré »), militaires, économiques et de la coopération. Toutefois, fidèle à ses méthodes de travail forgées depuis la Résistance, Foccart n'hésite pas à s'appuyer sur quelques hommes de confiance auxquels il confie discrètement des missions, comme Joseph Desmarescaux, chargé de suivre les questions politiques et électorales et d'assurer la liaison avec l'état-major politique de Georges Pompidou, Guy Le Bellec, chargé de certains dossiers sensibles et confidentiels aux marges du « pré carré » comme l'affaire Tshombé, ou Vincent Balesi, camarade réserviste du service Action.
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