Jacques Soustelle

Jacques Soustelle (3 February 1912–6 August 1990) was a French anthropologist specializing in pre-Columbian civilizations. He became vice-director of the Musée de l'Homme in Paris in 1938.

Soustelle was born in Montpellier. An anti-fascist, he joined the French resistance and Charles de Gaulle in London, coming to head the information and intelligence services. In 1945, he served first as Minister of Information, then of the Colonies. From 1947 to 1951, he served as Secretary General of the Gaullist party Rally of the French People (RPF).

He was nominated Governor General of Algeria by Pierre Mendès-France in 1955-56, favouring the integration of the Muslim community in the French Departments along the Mediterranean coast. Soustelle supported De Gaulle's return to power, becoming Information Minister in 1958. In 1959, during the Algerian War, he was appointed Minister of State in charge of Overseas Departments by Charles de Gaulle. Soustelle disagreed with de Gaulle's choice for Algerian independence. Soustelle was dismissed from the Cabinet and the Gaullist UNR Party in 1960 and joined the OAS. His OAS activities led him to being sued for attempting to undermine the authority of the French state. He lived in exile between 1961 and his 1968 amnesty.

Soustelle was elected in France's National Assembly (France's lower House) three times, first representing Mayenne in 1945-46, then the Rhône (1951-58) as a Gaullist, and from 1973 to 1978 as a member of the centrist Réformateur party.

Soustelle wrote Envers et contre tout, Aimée et souffrante Algérie, L'Espérance trahie, l'Art du Mexique, Mexique et les Quatre Soleils. He was elected to the Académie française in 1983.