Léon Marie Adolphe Pascal Pignon (; April 19, 1908 – April 4, 1976) was the French high commissioner in
Indochina from October 1948 until December 1950.
According to the memoires of
Bảo Đại, he wrote that the creation of the
Domain of the Crown
The Domain of the Crown ( vi, Hoàng triều Cương thổ; Chữ Hán: 皇朝疆土; french: Domaine de la Couronne; Modern Vietnamese: ''Đất của vua'') was originally the Nguyễn dynasty's geopolitical concept for its protectorates and ...
in the
State of Vietnam
The State of Vietnam ( vi, Quốc gia Việt Nam; Chữ Nôm: 國家越南; french: État du Viêt-Nam) was a governmental entity in Southeast Asia that existed from 1949 until 1955, first as a member of the French Union and later as a country ...
was suggested to him by Léon Pignon in
Paris who argued that the lands of
ethnic minorities were never directly administered by the imperial court of the
Nguyễn dynasty
The Nguyễn dynasty (chữ Nôm: 茹阮, vi, Nhà Nguyễn; chữ Hán: 阮朝, vi, Nguyễn triều) was the last Vietnamese dynasty, which ruled the unified Vietnamese state largely independently from 1802 to 1883. During its existence, ...
and could be assigned to the Chief of State in order to help the unification of Vietnam.
Bảo Đại claimed that he accepted the proposal because he believed that he could help in the ethnic minority tribes in their development and enjoy the serene environment of the territories.
References
1908 births
1976 deaths
French diplomats
People from Angoulême
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