He promoted liberal and humanistic policies, and thought it important to have deep understanding of the local people and respect for their civilization.

[1] In 1904 Brévié discovered a site near Tondidarou in what is now Mali that contained a remarkable group of phalliform stone monuments.

[4] In 1915 Brévié was visiting the village of Massantola in the Beledougou region of Mali when he heard a woman singing a lamentation she had composed in the Bamana language about her son, who had been killed in a rebellion against the French.

[5] He explained that the rebellion had been led by two local chiefs after the imposition of direct rule by the French, which had decreased their power.

[8] He followed Maurice Delafosse in his hostility to Islam as a disruptive force and in support for traditional authority, a position he explained in his 1923 book L'Islamisme contre 'Naturisme'.

[9] Brévié was governor-general of French West Africa (Afrique occidentale française, AOF) from 15 October 1930 to 27 September 1936.

[10] He told the colonial governors, "it is not in offices and through intermediaries that we exercise our control over the indigenous milieu ... it is by making ourselves seen and heard, by tirelessly circulating ... always in movement ... constant, thoughtful and always attentive.

"[11] In 1935 Brévié sent a circular to the West African administrators asking them to collect oral material, verbal art, since that would help them better understand the people of the colonies.

[5] Brévié wrote, "colonization is becoming a question of method, of calculation, or predictions and, we should say, of science, It remains without a doubt and first of all a political and psychological art, but one that must be guided and clarified by exact scientific data.".

He partly blamed colonial capitalists for the problems and obtained large loans from the French government to support African producers.

[13] Brévié responded by measures such as reducing rail tariffs, subsidizing the movement of laborers in Senegal, creating foods banks and programs to increase agricultural productivity.

"[15] He was concerned that the drop in living standards would cause the people to lose confidence in French rule and to be vulnerable to communist propaganda.

[19] Brévié was appointed governor-general of French Indochina in 1936 by the Popular Front government led by Léon Blum.

Brévié's administration stepped up public works projects and took measures to provide rice for replanting and to build up seed stocks.

[24] In 1937 Brévié spoke at the inauguration of the Do Luong barrage in Nghệ An Province, which was also attended by the emperor Bảo Đại.

"[25] In 1938 Brévié announced plans to build the capacity to irrigate 500,000 hectares (1,200,000 acres) in the Red River Delta to boost rice production.

Efforts would be made to find children of mixed blood, who would be accommodated by the charities, or given to nuns to raise until they were 5 years old, particularly to the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres.

[32] When Brévié visited Da Lat he told a racially mixed set of students at the Lycée Yersin on 12 July 1938, At points on the globe where there is contact between different races an incredible effervescence is developing.

We must prevent this from degenerating into chronic disorder; we must re-establish the harmony essential for the well-being of men and the progress of societies in all aspects.

The reform program he instituted came to a halt when the Popular Front left office in France, followed by the start of World War II.

[39] The former minister Henry Lémery proposed to Laval in August 1942 that the French West Indies should have a Conseil Local and that Guadeloupe and Martinique should be made standard departments of France.