Worth pointing out that next to the US, France is another empire with economically tied former colonies throughout Africa, Asia, and South America. They have a large installed base of nuclear power, nuclear ships, and nuclear weapons fed from uranium mines in those former colonies. And operate an aircraft carrier to project power internationally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_Charle...

Despite the ways France tends to be portrayed in the US media, it plays an outsized role in European and international politics as a result. Makes sense the CIA would want to be involved.