Archives diplomatiques Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (French Diplomatic Archives)

History and Founding

The diplomatic archives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been accumulated since the Ministry's earliest predecessors. The first series of Documents Diplomatiques Français covering the period 1871–1914 was begun in 1927. The archives are divided between two centres: the Centre des Archives diplomatiques de La Courneuve (CADLC), which holds central Foreign Office records originally stored at the Quai d'Orsay, and the Centre des Archives Diplomatiques de Nantes (CADN), which holds repatriated records from French embassies, consulates, cultural services, and former protectorates and mandates worldwide. The La Courneuve building, designed by architect Henri Gaudin, was purpose-built to house the collection.

Collections and Holdings

The La Courneuve site holds approximately 70 linear kilometres of records, encompassing diplomatic dispatches from ambassadors and consuls since the sixteenth century, treaties signed by France from the fifteenth century to the present, maps, photographs, and autograph documents from historical figures including Richelieu, Chateaubriand, Aristide Briand, and Charles de Gaulle. The library at La Courneuve holds approximately 500,000 volumes. The Nantes centre holds archives of consular and embassy services, former protectorates (Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon), and French-zone occupation records.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

Diplomatic dispatches held at La Courneuve include detailed reporting by French ambassadors on press freedom, media policy, and political conditions in foreign countries across several centuries. The archives also include materials relating to French information and propaganda policy abroad during both World Wars.

Access and Usage

The La Courneuve reading room is open Monday–Thursday 8:30–16:30 and Friday 8:30–15:00. Records more than 50 years old (with some exceptions) are generally open to the public. An online consultation portal for selected digitised inventories and archives was launched at the end of 2023. Researchers may also request access via the website of the Diplomatic Archives.