Alexandre de Marenches
Encyclopedia
Count Alexandre de Marenches (June 7, 1921, Paris
- June 2, 1995) was a French
military
officer
.
During the Second World War, Count de Marenches was aide de camp to General Juin
. As such, he helped to coordinate the US military with the remaining French divisions.
He was head of the Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
(SDECE, France
's external intelligence agency
) from November 6, 1970 to June 12, 1981.
He co-founded the Safari Club, a "private intelligence group [which was] one of George H. W. Bush
’s many end-runs around congressional oversight of the American intelligence establishment
and the locus of many of the worst features of the mammoth BCCI scandal." The Club involved a number of states, including Saudi Arabia
(which financed the operations), Morocco
, Egypt
and Iran
, and was intended to counter Soviet
operations in the Middle East
and Africa
.
Among other things, Count de Marenches is known to have predicted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
to an American journalist that immediately reported his conversation to US National Security Advisor
Zbigniew Brzezinski
and left for Kabul
, "arriving in the same time as the Soviet tanks did" (Marenches in Dans le Secret des Princes).
In 1986, he co-authored Dans le secret des Princes ("In the Princes' secret", literally, published in English as The Evil Empire: Third World War Continues) with journalist Christine Ockrent
about his days working in secret services.
In 1992, he co-authored The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism with David Andelman
.
De Marenches was a member of the Knights of Malta.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
- June 2, 1995) was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
.
During the Second World War, Count de Marenches was aide de camp to General Juin
Alphonse Juin
- Early years :Juin was born at Bône in French Algeria, and enlisted in the French Army, graduating from the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1912.- Career :...
. As such, he helped to coordinate the US military with the remaining French divisions.
He was head of the Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage
The Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage was France's external intelligence agency from 6 November 1944 to 2 April 1982 when it was replaced by the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure...
(SDECE, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
's external intelligence agency
Intelligence agency
An intelligence agency is a governmental agency that is devoted to information gathering for purposes of national security and defence. Means of information gathering may include espionage, communication interception, cryptanalysis, cooperation with other institutions, and evaluation of public...
) from November 6, 1970 to June 12, 1981.
He co-founded the Safari Club, a "private intelligence group [which was] one of George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
’s many end-runs around congressional oversight of the American intelligence establishment
United States Intelligence Community
The United States Intelligence Community is a cooperative federation of 16 separate United States government agencies that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security of the...
and the locus of many of the worst features of the mammoth BCCI scandal." The Club involved a number of states, including Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
(which financed the operations), Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, and was intended to counter Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
operations in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
.
Among other things, Count de Marenches is known to have predicted the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to an American journalist that immediately reported his conversation to US National Security Advisor
National Security Advisor (United States)
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor , serves as the chief advisor to the President of the United States on national security issues...
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Kazimierz Brzezinski is a Polish American political scientist, geostrategist, and statesman who served as United States National Security Advisor to President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981....
and left for Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, "arriving in the same time as the Soviet tanks did" (Marenches in Dans le Secret des Princes).
In 1986, he co-authored Dans le secret des Princes ("In the Princes' secret", literally, published in English as The Evil Empire: Third World War Continues) with journalist Christine Ockrent
Christine Ockrent
Christine Ockrent is a Belgian journalist whose career has principally centered on French television.Daughter of Belgian diplomat Charles Ockrent, she was born in Brussels, Belgium. She graduated from Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris in 1965. She worked for American television and...
about his days working in secret services.
In 1992, he co-authored The Fourth World War: Diplomacy and Espionage in the Age of Terrorism with David Andelman
David Andelman
David A. Andelman is the editor of World Policy Journal, having previously served as the American executive editor at and was a news reporter for the New York Times, based in New York, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe, and CBS News, based in Paris...
.
De Marenches was a member of the Knights of Malta.