In September 1920, Maklakov visited the Crimea to meet Pyotr Wrangel and other White Russian leaders. This was his last visit to Russia. Later, he assumed control of a network of "offices Russes" that certified marriages and births of Russian émigrés throughout France and performed other work normally undertaken by Russian consulates. Despite encroaching deafness, Maklakov remained at the helm of the Russian Emigration Office (eventually subsumed into the structure of Charles de Gaulle's government) until his death at the age of 88. His front-rank reputation and talent for mediation allowed Maklakov (rather than better-known but controversial men like Kerensky and Miliukov) to manoeuvre between the many warring factions that made up the Russian émigré community and to represent their interests in dealing with the French government. He also wrote several books on the history of social thought and the Russian liberal movement.