france in the south nic maclellan & jean chesneaux DATE DUE 0RODART Cal. No, 23-221 V J OKANAGANHJ 1O LLEGE LIBRARY 0266438 About the authors Nic Maciellan has worked as a journalist, researcher and community development worker in the Pacific islands. He currently works with the Pacific Concerns Resource Centre (PCRC) in Suva, Fiji. He has written widely on development, environment and disarmament issues, and is co-author, with Jean Chesneaux, of La France dans le Pacifique: De Bougainville a Moruroa (Editions la Decouverte, Paris, 1992). Jean Chesneaux is emeritus professor of Asian and Pacific History at the Sorbonne (Universite de Paris VII). He has traveled extensively the Pacific region since 1970. His recent publications include: Transpacifiques (Editions la Decouverte, Paris, 1987), Brave Modem World (Thames and Hudson, London, 1993) and Abiterle temps (Bayard, Paris, 1996). -i ' . . V ♦ /^ - - / fc' 'i^-i . ;%j'.s'-^' - , - 'tn ' >5irxtera?K>j; :t0^ ?fh'^‘,'y^ »jfifjw <h rrTa/j''- jsi ^ to .xi/tarr't'ri •. !» • . “f..^E^ f ^-4i.^ tj-.n^'j^rpj G. fci <r3<^t6d5 ^ Mffmttfj *i X1»Ci'V »5t3> •’♦^ ■ »‘ ^ - :i]T^ <i. 'Tf -.JiiH t ,cr4s%i)rtr >^ €<4*^1 J f ' I *v 1 .M ♦ Ay •/*i^ ' f * - --, uIi*!:Slj5 m: K«!c ^ ^ -jbw ■•.«.,! ,t ;'■■■■ . • < ■ T r- /* ®«<..; ' ' 1 ’ ' - i • ' ' 'i"' f' V' S i., ■ - *-.., "> ^-y *'•-^--» 4 ■' )V. :■v• a^'^ i-r,' I' after moruroa after moruroa france in the south pacific by nic maclellan and jean chesneaux OCEAN PRESS Melbourne • New York Cover design by David Spratt Copyright © 1998 Ocean Press Copyright © 1998 Nic Maclellan and Jean Chesneaux Copyright © 1998 Maps: John Waddingham All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN 1-876175-05-2 First printed 1998 Printed in Australia Published by Ocean Press Australia: GPO Box 3279, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia • Fax: (61-3) 9372 1765 • E-mail: [email protected] USA: PO Box 834, Hoboken, NJ 07030 • Fax: 201-617 0203 OCEAN PRESS DISTRIBUTORS United 5fa^e5.LPC/InBook, 1436 West Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60607, USA Canada: Marginal Distributors, 277 George St. N., Unit 102, Peterborough, Ontario K9J 3G9 Britain and Europe: Global Book Marketing, 38 King Street, London, WC2E 8JT, UK Australia and New Zealand: Astam Books, 57-61 John Street, Leichhardt, NSW 2040, Australia Cuba and Latin America: Ocean Press, Calle 21 #406, Vedado, Havana, Cuba Southern Africa: Phambili Agencies, PO Box 28680, Kensington 2101, Johannesburg, South Africa CONTENTS Preface and Acknowledgments 1 France's Pacific Territories 3 Maps Islands of the Pacific Ocean 4 French Polynesia 5 New Caledonia 6 Wallis & Futuna 7 1 The Pacific As Seen From Europe 9 2 The Pacific: A French Cultural Dream 23 3 From Bougainville's Voyage to the Second World War 36 4 From the Second World War to the Fifth Republic 63 5 The Fifth Republic: A Grand Design for France in the South Pacific? 75 6 Moruroa and Fangataufa: A Chapter Closed? 95 7 French Polynesia in Nuclear Shock 116 8 New Caledonia or Kanaky? 143 9 The Matignon Accords and the Future of Kanak Independence 169 10 France's Charm Offensive in the Pacific 189 11 After Moruroa: France caught between Europe, Global Markets and the Great Ocean 222 Glossary 261 Bibliography 263 Index 269 Dedication For Kamboa, Ofai Mato Here Tia^ and the next generation