Ask the Scholar

{
    "localId": "486500649",
    "label": "Report, Central Intelligence Agency, France, Situation Report 30",
    "core": "doc",
    "dtoType": "document",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/486500649"
}

{
    "id": "486500649",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/486500649",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Report, Central Intelligence Agency, France, Situation Report 30",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/486500649",
    "collections": [
        "President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)",
        "Intelligence Files"
    ],
    "iiifBase": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602196/875512/875512-01-001.tif",
    "thumbnailUrl": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602196/875512/875512-01-001.tif",
    "largeImageUrl": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602196/875512/875512-01-001.tif",
    "imageCount": 88,
    "hasImages": true,
    "source": "import",
    "hasTranscription": false
}

{
    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/486500649",
    "naId": 486500649,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 17,
            "logicalDate": "1950-03-17",
            "month": 3,
            "year": 1950
        }
    ],
    "recordType": "description",
    "ocrSource": "nara-archive"
}

{
    "seq": 61,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602196/875512/875512-01-061.tif",
    "mediaId": "9c84f95e14c596a9",
    "ocrText": "SECRET\nAPPENDIX A\nTOPOGRAPHY\nFrance .is situated between latitude 42°20'\nCorbieres in the department of Aude, the\nand °5'North and longitude 4° West and\nCevebbes, the mountains of Vivarais, Lyon-\n7°39' East (Greenwich). France is bounded on\nnaise, Beaujolais, and Charollais, the Cote\nthe north and northwest by the Straits of Dov-\nd'Or and the Plateau de Langres, the Fau-\ner and the English Channel, on the west by the\ncilles Mountains and the Vosges. The general\nAtlantic Ocean, including the Bay of Biscay,\nwatershed is joined toward the northeast by\non the south by Spain and the Mediterranean\neastern ranges, including the Jura and the\nSea, on the east by Italy, Switzerland, and\nvarious Alpine formations. One of the latter\nGermany, and on the northeast by Germany,\nculminates in Mont Blanc, which has an alti-\nLuxembourg, and Belgium.\ntude of 15,781 feet. Near the center of the\nThe land frontiers of France total about\ncountry and separate from the great water-\n1,600 miles divided as follows: Belgium 285\nshed are several groups of volcanic mountains\nmiles, Luxembourg 25 miles, Germany 230\nwhich are generally known as the mountains\nmiles, Switzerland 260 miles, Spain 350 miles,\nof Auvergne. The most conspicuous peaks\nand Italy 250 miles. The 1,872 miles of coast\nare the Plomb du Cantal in the most south-\nare distributed in this fashion: English Chan-\nerly group, the Puy de Sancy in the central,\nnel 672 miles; Atlantic (including the Bay of\nand the Puy de Dome in the northernmost\nBiscay) 831 miles; and the Mediterranean 369\ngroup.\nmiles. The country is about 600 miles from\nThe area of metropolitan France includes\nnorth to south and about 400 miles from east\nthree great river basins: the Paris basin which\nto west at its greatest breadth. The land area\nincludes the Seine, Somme, and Loire rivers;\nis approximately 212,659 square miles.\nthe Rhone-Sâone, and the Garonne basins.\nMore than half of France's boundary faces\nThese basins are found, in the order named,\nthe sea; most of the land frontiers follow nat-\nnorth, east and southwest of the Central\nural barriers. The eastern mountain chain is\nPlateau.\nbroken, however, by a gap between the Alps\nThe rivers of France are quite evenly dis-\nand the Jura through which the Rhone River\ntributed over the whole land area. There are\nflows. Another pass is known as the Belfort\nin all 212 navigable streams, having a total of\nGap in lower Alsace, while a third constitutes\n5,700 navigable miles. There are, however,\nthe gorges of the Moselle and Meuse rivers.\nfew lakes; the largest covers only 27 square\nThese routeways are of great military impor-\nmiles, while the next largest covers only three.\ntance. The Pyrenees can be bypassed on the\nWhile France is a compact land mass, its ter-\nAtlantic and Mediterranean littorals.\nrain is highly diversified. This diversity is ex-\nThe major interior highlands, which cover\npressed in the variety of its products, people,\none-fifth of the area of France, extend from\nclimate, traditions, and scenery. Sugar beets\nthe northeast to the southwest and form a\nare grown in Artois and Flanders, oranges in\nwatershed which drains toward the Bay of\nNice, and tobacco in Languedoc. Peasant\nBiscay, the Atlantic Ocean, and the English\ncostumes, long a mark of distinction in vari-\nChannel on the westerly and northern sides,\nous provinces, are still worn. But while there\nand in the general direction of the Mediter-\nare a great diversity of terrain elements in\nranean Sea on the southern side. The moun-\nFrance, the country also exhibits a good bal-\ntain ranges which form the watershed include\nance between the various types. A glance at\nthe western and central Pyrenees, the western\na map will show that there is a balance be-\nSECRET\n61"
}