Internal AC COMINT "Hydraulics" memo distributed to regional directors (1999)

In this document

Internal distribution

This is an internal memo transmitted by AC COMINT (Automobiles Citroën internal information agency, contact "OUDOUL"), sent to Josette Lautrain and then distributed to regional directors on 30-09-99 at 15:59, printed on 30/09/99 at 17:20 p. 2. The indicated source is AC/DCCO/Press Service p. 2.

The distributed text

The body of the memo contains a biographical notice titled "Paul Magès, the 'father' of hydraulics at Citroën is dead" p. 2.

It states that Paul Magès was born on 9 March 1908 in Aussois in Savoie, that he joined Citroën at 17 and a half, first in the "Methods and Organisation" department (handling equipment), then in the "Super Control and Testing" department at the Quai de Javel factory p. 2.

The memo recounts that he carried out a study "to demonstrate how to establish load distribution in relation to ground adhesion, to obtain given decelerations" p. 2. Working on a brake distributor — a prototype mounted in 1942 on a PUD7 truck — he noted that the device's control was complex to mass-produce; his solution was high pressure, via a small 1 cm³ hydraulic pump p. 2. The text concludes: "Hydraulics at Citroën was born!" p. 2.

Vehicles cited as having benefited from this technique include: the 15 Six H, the DS, the GS, the SM, the CX, the BX, the XM, Xantia and Xantia Activa p. 2.

Visual elements are noted: a small blue handwritten mark in the right margin near the paragraph on the PUD7, and a black line in the left margin at the level of the word "CITROËN" p. 2.

Context

This memo is part of Citroën's internal communication following the death of Paul Magès, which occurred on 22 September 1999, just a few days before its distribution — a death to which the mayor of Ramatuelle, the commune where Magès had retired after his career, also paid tribute (speech by Mr. Raphaël, mayor of Ramatuelle). The hydropneumatic suspension, born from this work, remained one of the brand's technical signatures for several decades: the plans were laid out as early as 17 February 1944 (hydropneumatic suspension plans with differential interaction), the first tests on the 2 CV took place in May-July 1946 (notebook of the first tests of the 2 CV), and the technique was popularised by the DS presented on 6 October 1955. The PUD7 truck mentioned refers to the pre-war Citroën utility range; this 1942 prototype belongs to the period when Magès joined the design office, between the brake limiter of the TUB van (1939-1940) and the first hydropneumatic suspension plans of 1944.

Archivist's perspective

This memo likely constitutes an official communication source, calibrated to quickly inform the commercial network (regional directors) of Magès's death and to recall, in a synthetic way, his technical contribution. The text uses a biographical framework that seems close to that distributed elsewhere in the press, as suggested by the obituary article "Paul Magès is no more" appearing in the same file.

The interest of this document lies in its status as an internal source dated with precision (30 September 1999, p. 2), offering a reliable chronological reference point to situate the other pieces in this documentary file, such as the portrait of Paul Magès in Ramatuelle, a commune where Magès had retired and where he was a municipal councillor and then 2nd deputy mayor.