A declassified email from Sidney Blumenthal to Hillary Clinton (April 2, 2011) detailed Gaddafi's plan to create a gold-backed pan-African currency using 143 tons of gold reserves, designed to replace the French franc (CFA) in Francophone Africa. French intelligence discovered the plan and it influenced Sarkozy's decision to attack Libya. However, analysts note Sarkozy committed to intervention on February 21, before the gold dinar intel, complicating the timeline.