Yesterday I came across the following one-paragraph summary of the history of the Law of Quadratic Reciprocity in [Roger Godement](http://godement.eu/site/)'s *Analyse mathématique*, IV, p.313 (perhaps the only treatise on Analysis which contains a statement of the Law in question). 



> 
> Legendre a deviné la formule et Gauss est devenu instatanément
>  célèbre en la prouvant. En trouver des
>  généralisations, par exemple aux anneaux d'entiers
>  algébriques, ou d'autres démonstrations a constitué un
>  sport national pour la dynastie allemande suscité par Gauss
>  jusqu'à ce que le reste du monde, à commencer par le Japonais
>  Takagi en 1920 et à continuer par Chevalley une dizaine
>  d'années plus tard, découvre le sujet et, après 1945, le
>  fasse exploser. Gouverné par un Haut Commissariat qui surveille
>  rigoureusement l'alignement de ses Grandes Pyramides, c'est
>  aujourd'hui l'un des domaines les plus respectés des
>  Mathématiques. 
> 
> 
> *(English translation: Legendre guessed the formula [the quadratic reciprocity law] and Gauss instantly became famous by proving it. Finding generalizations, for example to rings of algebraic integers, or other proofs was a "national sport" for the German dynasty sparked by Gauss until the rest of the world, starting with the Japanese Takagi in 1920 and then Chevalley about ten years later, discovered the subject and, after 1945, made it "explode". Governed by a High Commission that rigorously monitors the alignment of its Great Pyramids, today it is one of the most respected areas of Mathematics.)* 
> 
> 
> 


Which Haut Commissariat is he referring to ? Or is it just a joke ?



Le Haut Commissariat qui surveille rigoureusement l'alignement de ses Grandes Pyramides
I disagree with Michael Grünewald's interpretation, which by the way doesn't answer the initial question: who Godement is he referring too? I think this is a joke made without acrimony. "Thought police", "innovation preventing", are much too strong phrases to translate Godement's light ironical quotation.


To a french-spaking ear, "Haut Commissariat" in this context evokes the "Commissariat Général au Plan", created by the administration led by de Gaulle in 1946 (and including a large political spectrum, from right wing to communists). It was an institution without real power but which was supposed to prepare non-compulsory "plans" to develop the economy for the next five years, the idea being 
to take advantage of whatever was thought efficient in soviet-like planning while staying essentially a free-market economy. (Of course there are other 
institutions with that name, like UN's "haut-commissariat aux réfugiés", but really that the plan one that comes to mind).


So back to quadratic reciprocity, I may be completely wrong but I imagine that the Haut-Commissaire in question might be R.P. Langlands and his huge program that has provided a non-compulsory, but hugely influential, planning for the research in "higher class field theory" since more than 40 years. 


