France to De-classify Polynesia Nuclear Test Archives

A commission set up by the French government has decided to the declassify 34,598 documents, 433 photos and 43 films related to the French nuclear tests carried out from 1966 to 1996 in the Pacific Island of Polynesia.

Under the new legislative framework, 90% of the documents appraised have thus received a favourable opinion on free communication. The documents are now accessible to everyone, a French MoD press release said Friday.

Since October 5, the State administrations and archives have been analyzing all the documents relating to nuclear tests in French Polynesia.

This study makes it possible to isolate from the opening process, the parts comprising proliferating information which cannot be communicated.

The procedure being done in consultation with the populations concerned, the meeting of Thursday, February 3 made it possible to communicate an initial progress report to Édouard Fritch, President of French Polynesia.

In Papeete on July 27, 2021, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, acknowledged France's debt to French Polynesia. On this occasion, he asked that all the archives on this period be opened, except for those which could contain so-called proliferating information likely to facilitate the manufacture of a nuclear weapon.

Following this announcement, a commission to open the archives of nuclear tests in French Polynesia was set up on October 5 by Geneviève Darrieussecq, Minister Delegate to the Minister for the Armed Forces. This structure makes it possible to bring together, in an inter-ministerial framework, the representatives of French Polynesia with those of the various administrations and archive services keeping documentary sources on the subject.

After four months of item-by-item analysis, carried out by the various State administrations and archives services, this meeting was an opportunity to present an initial progress report to Édouard Fritch, President of the French Polynesia.

The opening of the archives will facilitate the documentation of nuclear tests in French Polynesia. Through this declassification procedure, the French State wishes to support, encourage and participate in historical research. The meeting was therefore also an opportunity to present various measures towards this objective:

The creation of a page dedicated to nuclear tests in French Polynesia, on the Mémoire des hommes website, which makes it possible to follow the progress of the opening procedure in the various departments concerned and to find out about existing documentary resources;

The financing by the Ministry of the Armed Forces of a doctoral contract from the next academic year, giving priority to a young Polynesian researcher;

An exhibition is to be held in Papeete in early 2023, by the Defense Historical Service, to present to elected officials, associations and the Polynesian population the first information drawn from the opening procedure.