ABSTRACT
Under the Fourth Republic, the staff at the Élysée (the presidential residence, known to insiders as the château) numbered about ten, along with a military household of four. De Gaulle doubled this total: an increase that in no way reflected the vast growth of presidential power. Since 1959 the military staff, which has a specific and limited sphere of competence, has never numbered more than thirteen, the civilian staff never more than forty (and at times as few as eighteen). No president has wanted very many more: derisory as these figures may appear compared to the manpower available to the White House, they suffice to meet what are seen as limited needs, for as we have seen, the essential work of governmental co-ordination is done from Matignon.
