Cover page "Documentation" — handwritten folder summary (6 June 1940)

In this document

This is a handwritten cover page, bearing the word "DOCUMENTATION" in large format, inscribed vertically on the left edge of the cardboard. In the top right is the date "6-06-40" p. 1.

This page served as a summary for a folder, listing three dated and titled entries:

An additional line below remains largely illegible: it possibly mentions "Doc T." (uncertain mention), followed by an illegible word p. 1.

A handwritten signature in pencil appears at the bottom right of the page, but it is too faint to be deciphered p. 1. A small circular red/orange stain is visible in the centre right; it does not correspond to any identifiable official stamp p. 1.

Context

This cover page is part of the documentary work of Paul Magès, who joined Citroën in August 1925 and was then a technical writer and later deputy head of the Super-Contrôle (autobiographical notes: Draft of a letter from Paul Magès to Mr. Sarre and interview plan of the 11), before he became famous for the invention of the hydropneumatic suspension, the first plans for which date from February 1944. In June 1940, France was in the midst of a military debacle — a context that does not appear in the document itself, but which sheds light on the period.

The three subjects listed refer to classic technical themes of mechanical engineering of the time: vehicle testing, belt transmissions, metal treatment — subjects then commonly documented in industrial design offices.

Archivist's perspective

This simple cover page has valuable organizational significance: it attests that Magès (or his professional circle) organized his technical documentation by dated subjects, probably to classify files accumulated over several years (1935-1940).

The mention "Hotchkiss Laffly tests" of 6 June 1940 very likely corresponds to the Test report of the 6-wheel Hotchkiss-Laffly vehicle, dated the same day — which confirms the summary function of this page.

Likewise, the other two entries likely find their echo in the Technical notebook on belt transmissions (January 1937) and the Citroën standards on steel treatment (March 1935), both present in the same collection.

This piece, modest in appearance, thus allows for the reconstruction of the filing logic of a work file and anchors several other documents in the same chronology of constitution, that of Magès' formative years within the Citroën design office, before the rise of his work on hydropneumatic suspension.