In this second episode in the history of the IHEDN, we take a look back at the inspection of the higher military education establishments of the École Militaire by General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic.
On 3 November 1959, Charles de Gaulle carried out an inspection at the École Militaire of all the establishments making up higher military education, with the notable exception of the NATO Defence College. The date was chosen to coincide with the opening of the national session of the IHEDN. The President of the Republic's car entered the courtyard at 10am. Ten minutes later, the General walked to the de Bourcet amphitheatre. The director of the IHEDN, Jean Essig, presented him, in front of the entire government and the auditors of the 12th session of the IHEDN.e session, the organisation and missions of the Institute. Less than half an hour later, de Gaulle left the premises and inspected the war colleges of the three armies (Desvallières amphitheatre), then the Centre des hautes études militaires and the Cours supérieur interarmées (Louis amphitheatre) - with a speed worthy of those accustomed to the maze that is the military academy! He ended his inspection with a speech in the École Militaire mess hall, in the Gabriel rotunda, to all the civilian and military authorities, managers, auditors and trainees. This speech sets the strategic course for the coming years:
"Having said that, I think I should mention a few ideas that will help to guide your efforts. The defence of France must be French. This is a necessity that has not always been very familiar in recent years. I am aware of that. It is vital that it becomes French again. If a country like France goes to war, it must wage its own war. [...] It goes without saying, of course, that our defence, the development of our resources, our conception of the conduct of war, must be combined for us with what exists in other countries. [...] But everyone should have his own share. This is a crucial point that I recommend to your consideration. [...] The consequence of this is that we obviously need to equip ourselves over the next few years [...] with a "strike force" that can be deployed at any time and anywhere. It goes without saying that the basis of this force will be an atomic weapon - whether we make it or buy it - but it must belong to us: and since France can be destroyed, potentially, from any point in the world, our force must be designed to act anywhere on earth.1. "
The press was surprised by the tone of the speech, which was expected to focus on the Algerian question. The General "raised the problems of national defence on a very high level, almost to the philosophical and historical level [...] of the Merovingians and all the eras of eternal France".2 ". The journalists present did not at the time perceive the official turning point in the General's defence policy, based on deterrence and the eventual departure from NATO's integrated command. The day of 3 November 1959 marked the start of a long series of inspections by the Head of State (1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1969) of higher military education. The aim was to verify the application of the President's vision. The IHEDN was at the heart of the executive's concerns, especially as it was both a forum for debate and perceived as a Euro-Atlantic bastion. This new focus on deterrence and national independence will inform the work of the Institute's auditors for several decades to come.
[1] Speech by General de Gaulle at the École Militaire, 3 November 1959, Archives nationales, 5 AG (1) 261.
[2] "À l'École militaire, le général évoque une association des défenses", Le Figaro, 4 November 1959.
