Jean Decoux (5 May 1884 – 21 October 1963) was a French Navy admiral who was the Governor-General of French Indochina from July 1940 to 9 March 1945, representing the Vichy French government. Early life and naval career Decoux was born in Bordeaux, one of three children of a family originally from Upper Savoy. In 1901, at about 16, he entered the École navale. He was promoted to aspirant second class in 1903, to aspirant first class the following year, ship-of-the-line ensign (sub-lieutenant) in 1906, ship-of-the-line lieutenant (lieutenant) in 1913, corvette captain (lieutenant-commander) in 1920, frigate captain (commander) in 1923, ship-of-the-line captain in 1929 and rear admiral (one-star rear admiral) in 1935. He was appointed commander of the defence sector at Toulon in 1938 and promoted to vice-admiral (two-star rear admiral). French Indochina On 13 January 1939, Decoux was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Naval Forces in the Far East by President Albert Lebrun. He assumed his new appointment, with the rank of squadron vice-admiral (vice admiral), on 12 May. When the French Navy submarine sank with the loss of all hands in the South China Sea during a training exercise on 15 June 1939, he ordered the light cruiser to put to sea to join the submarine in searching for her. On 16 June he embarked on L'Espoir to take personal command of the search, and Phénix′s wreck was discovered on the sea bed later that day. From 25 June 1940 he served as interim Vichy French Governor-General of Indochina, succeeding General Georges Catroux. His functions were established on 29 August the same year. Like his predecessor, Decoux initially wished to continue the fight against the Axis powers, but he swore allegiance to Pétain's regime after realizing that his meager armed forces were no match for the Japanese. Decoux reportedly received demands from the Japanese in early August for permission to move troops through Tonkin (later Vietnam) in order to build air bases and block Allied supply routes to China. Decoux cabled his Vichy superiors for aid, but when no help was forthcoming, he signed a treaty on 20 September 1940 that opened Haiphong Harbour to the Japanese and gave them the right to station troops in the region. Decoux worked to improve relations between French colonists and the Vietnamese. He established a grand federal council containing twice as many Vietnamese members as Frenchmen and installed Vietnamese in civil-service positions