The French group operates oil since 1957

The character of this industry have nothing to do with what is practiced elsewhere... "The judgment comes from a connoisseur: Loïk Floch - Prigent, President and CEO of Elf from 1989 to 1993. In 1994, a year after its replacement by Philippe Jaffré, broke out the "Elf affair". Initially, an almost trivial matter: financing, the oil giant of the Bidermann textile group. Upon arrival, the update of a vast system of corruption and misappropriation of funds where are found the names of Charles Pasqua, Roland Dumas, Alfred Sirven Director General of Elf under age Affairs updated Le Floch-Prigent , Andre Tarallo, the "Mr Africa" in the oil group, and many others. More than a scandal, a genuine case of State...

Oil, State: in France, the two terms were long inseparable, the public authorities only disengages really of the sector in the 1990s. Already after the first world war, the State had played a key role in the creation of the future Total PSC allowing the France to have access to the oil fields of Iraq. For years, the PSC remained under the influence of the Quai d'Orsay, which she was a little thing. The creation of Elf was also political. Until its acquisition by Total in 1999, the group in remained permanently marked. Whether it is Pierre Guillaumat, Albin Chalandon, Loïk Le Floch-Prigent to Philippe Jaffré, most of its CEO were from the political Seraglio. But then the PSC depended on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elf became the reserved field of the Elysee Palace and one of the privileged instruments of the African policy of the country. Evolution actually began under Pierre Guillaumat, early 1960s.

A memorable night

At the start of the adventure Elf, a great ambition: diversifying sources of supply in black gold of the country. From the beginning of the 1930s, several government agencies are looking for oil, in France but also in the empire. An essential step is taken in 1939 with the discovery of gas in the Comminges, Saint-Marcet (Haute-Garonne). It leads to the creation, in July 1939, the Régie Autonome of oils (RAP), first link in the chain which will lead to the creation of Elf Aquitaine. All hopes seem so permitted. So much so that in 1941 is created the company national oil of Aquitaine (NAPs), majority owned by the State, and the PSC is also shareholder. Its mission: explore the entire region, and in particular the Pyrenean foothills. That is why is updated the the huge deposit of gas in Lacq in 1951. At the same time, searches are performed in North Africa, this time by the PSC and the Office of research of oil (BRP), a public body established just after the war. Successfully there yet: at the beginning of the 1950s, significant deposits of black gold are found in Algeria, Hassi Messaoud and Hassi R'Mel. These discoveries lead to the creation of the SN Repal, subsidiary of the BRP and the PSC on the operation of the Algerian oil. In the medium of business as in the corporate corridors, it enthuses. Worn by these good news, the stock-related flies on the Paris stock exchange.

BRP, RAP, NAPs, SN Repal: all facets of the same policy of national interest to make the France a great oil power. But these public enterprises have all same weakness: they have neither expertise nor active in refining and distribution. Downstream of the die is in the hands of foreign groups. Where the project matured early 1960s: create a national distribution company. This will be the Union General Petroleums (LMU), scope on the baptismal font in April 1960 and brings together the Régie Autonome des oils, SN Repal and the Group of operators tankers (GEP), consisting of several companies, including the society national des Pétroles d'Aquitaine. To fulfil its mission, the PMU acquires several small distribution companies since its inception. It has also the assets of the company Caltex (California & Texas Oil Company), the subsidiary of us group Texaco by SN Repal. Des assets consisting une most of 183 stations, 1.385 road outlets, 4 tankers and une old refinery at Ambes. One of the first acts of the LMU is to build in Feyzin, near Lyon, a State of the art refinery.

The next step in the consolidation of the sector lies in 1966. That year, all subsidiaries of the BRP and RAP including the LMU are merged into a new entity: the business of research and activities petroleum (Erap). The following year was born a unique brand: Elf. The great failover occurs in April 1967, on a memorable night. Twelve thousand people mobilized to ensure in 4,500 points of sale replacement of old signs with the new Elf logo. The holding of the attendant, with their red tie and their with CAP, gives to to the new brand a strong capital of sympathy in the public. Elf-Erap is born. We should wait until 1976 to fuse the Erap and the NFSS, remained so far out successive clusters. The transaction gives rise to the Elf Aquitaine group. At the end of industrial real Meccano mounts, the France and has a second oil champion behind the PSC.

Intelligence culture

When was officially born Elf Aquitaine, this is long already that the group became an annex of the State apparatus. The role of Pierre Guillaumat proves it. Alumnus of the Ecole polytechnique, resistant to the first hour, man is a relative of General de Gaulle, who knew his father, General Adolphe Guillaumat. It was de Gaulle who, as early as 1944, place Pierre Guillaumat as head of the Directorate fuels, appointed him in 1945 President of new BRP, making him the true master of oil policy in France. This position, Pierre Guillaumat arrives with a fixed idea and methods to him. The idea fixed: ensure at all costs the energy independence of the France. During the first world war, Standard Oil had interrupted the supply of oil to the French armies. "Never again!", he vowed. The methods are simple: populate the

BRP men to him. From men for most of the central Office of information and action, the Gaullist secret services during the war, including Pierre Guillaumat was a member. This intelligence culture widely will rub off on the future group Elf, explaining much his future abuses. Until its privatisation, Elf focus or "recycle" from number of special services.

All truly switches in 1962, because of difficult to imagine something ten years earlier, upon the discovery of the oil fields of the Sahara: the independence of the Algeria. She questioned brutally energetic strategy patiently put in place for years. The cursor moves to black Africa. It is she that will now return the mission of the loss of the black gold, Algerian and this doing to ensure the regularity of oil supply of the France. When Pierre Guillaumat was appointed by General de Gaulle as head of the LMU after a brilliant ministerial career he was Minister of defence in 1958, and then Minister of Atomic Energy and research between 1960 and 1962 its roadmap is clear: secure Africa's oil. The head of the LMU and Elf-Erap, Pierre Guillaumat will fulfill its mission well. When it gives its place to Albin Chalandon, in 1977, Elf is informal Department of oil and pharmacy information in all oil countries in black Africa.

For at the outset, Gabon played a key role in this strategy. A country which will serve as a model to the "Elf system." The French group operates oil since 1957. His interest is reinforced in 1962 with the discovery and exploitation of the first off shore. Gabon, is now under high surveillance. A point that, when the Gabonese President Mba is overthrown by a coup in 1964, the decision to the militarily-saddle is made jointly by Jacques Foccart, the Elysee Palace for African Affairs Advisor, Pierre Guillaumat, the CEO of the LMU, Maurice Robert, pattern of service Africa in the Service of external documentation and counter-espionage (Sdece), and Robert Ponsaillé, Advisor to the oil group and the Gabonese President.

The "clan of the Gabonais".

Undercover high flight, real bis Minister for Africa, Maurice Robert to join Elf-Erap in 1973 to develop a parallel information service geared towards Africa, before being appointed in 1979, France Ambassador to Gabon... Surprising mixture of genres that says a lot about the connections of the oil group. By the 1960s, Gabon became a real protectorate of the French Republic, managed by a duo consisting of Jacques Foccart and the Elf group. Their lige man on the spot is Omar Bongo, President of Gabon in 1967 and supported from end to end by the France.

Bongo: a former French secret service whose political rise was ineffective as early as 1960 by Maurice Robert. A true creature of the France, in short, brought to power to lock the oil. Made up of President Bongo, his followers, the leaders of Elf and the Gaullist Party, the "clan of the Gabonais" eventually extend its ramifications to the heart of the French State apparatus seeking to influence the French African policy. The "clan" is will take thus to President Giscard d'Estaing, guilty in the eyes of objecting to the appointment of Maurice Robert, as Ambassador to Gabon. The difficult relations between Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Jacques Chirac could find here one of their sources.

From his Gabonese platform, Elf will gradually expand its influence in much of black Africa, giving body to the concept of "Françafrique". All under the guidance of Jacques Foccart, behaviour "Mr Africa" of the Elysee Palace between 1960 and 1974 and whose networks will remain active until the mid-1990s. Established by Pierre Guillaumat, the system persists under his successors. Despite his declared Marxism-Leninism, Elf will thus support Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Congo between 1979 and 1991. The company also help him return to power in 1997 and overthrow Pascal Lissouba, who, to pay to the French support for his rival, was a mistake to turn to us companies. It does not with impunity the oil interests of Elf!

In Nigeria, where it seeks to undermine the oil interests of Anglo-Saxon companies, Chad, Angola, where it funds together the Marxist regime in Luanda and the guerrillas of Jonas Savimbi, in Cameroon, where it relates to Paul Biya early 1980s power to contain the anglophone community in the country, everywhere where its interests so require, Elf is conducting its own diplomacy with the blessing of the authorities French. Diplomacy where the money flows in flow. "Across the petroleum countries, it is the head of State or the King who is the beneficiary of the oil." "It is like that," will thus explain Loïk Le Floch-Prigent. When breaks out the Elf case, mechanics is perfectly oiled. The sums are paid each year Swiss accounts to intermediaries operating on behalf of African heads of State concerned.

This system, anyone unable or unwilling the break. Those who risk must very soon go back. At the beginning of the 1980s, Jean-Pierre Cot, Minister for cooperation, and Jean-Pierre Marion, Director of the Directorate-General for external security (DGSE), attempt to obtain the deletion of the information service of the Elf group that competes with official services. In vain. Than its predecessors, François Mitterrand would deprive himself of such a weapon, it lobbied by the Gaullist elements! According to his testimony, Loïk Le Floch-Prigent try it also with the DGSE to clean in the "general services" of the group. He runs to Alfred Sirven and its networks. Privatisation of Elf, in 1994, followed by its resumption by Total, was in part change the equation. Integrated within a multinational company whose oil interests are exclusively African, disconnected from the public authorities, the group is more intended to play the role of arm of the State which was his once. Nothing says that the State is totally disinterested also strategic oil sector.