Editing Charles de Gaulle (section)

=== 1930s: staff officer ===
In the spring of 1931, as his posting in Beirut drew to a close, de Gaulle once again asked Pétain for a posting to the ''École de Guerre''. Pétain tried to obtain an appointment for him as Professor of History there, but once again the faculty would not have him. Instead de Gaulle, drawing on plans he had drawn up in 1928 for reform of that institution, asked Pétain to create a special post for him which would enable him to lecture on "the Conduct of War" both to the ''École de Guerre'' and to the ''Centre des Hautes Études Militaires'' (CHEM – a senior staff college for generals, known as the "school for marshals"), to civilians at the ''[[École Normale Supérieure]]'', and to civil servants.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p99, p118">Lacouture 1991, pp. 99, 118</ref>

Pétain instead advised him to apply for a posting to the ''Secrétariat Général du Conseil Supérieur de la Défense Nationale'' (SGDN – General Secretariat of the Supreme War Council) in Paris. Pétain promised to lobby for the appointment, which he thought would be good experience for him. De Gaulle was posted to SGDN in November 1931, initially as a "drafting officer".<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p99, p118" /><ref name="Fenby-2010" />{{RP|94}}

He was promoted to lieutenant-colonel in December 1932 and appointed Head of the Third Section (operations). His service at SGDN gave him six years' experience of the interface between army planning and government, enabling him to take on ministerial responsibilities in 1940.<ref name="Fenby-2010" />{{RP|97}}<ref>Lacouture 1991, pp. 105, 119 – Lacouture gives the date of this promotion both as December 1932 (the date favoured by most accounts) and December 1933</ref>

After studying arrangements in the US, Italy, and Belgium, de Gaulle drafted a bill for the organisation of the country in wartime. He made a presentation about his bill to the CHEM. The bill passed the Chamber of Deputies but failed in the Senate.<ref name="Lacouture 1991, p125">Lacouture 1991, p. 125</ref>