De Gaulle relocated Algeria’s command to Rocher-Noir to escape ultra mobs, but too late.

Evidence

Morin’s second duty was to prepare, in the utmost secrecy, a new headquarters outside the dangerous cauldron of Algiers, at Rocher-Noir, a few miles along the coast. The purpose was to avoid a possible repeat of the embarrassing predicament of January, where the representative of France might find himself confronted with the choice of either beating an undignified retreat, or being made a prisoner of an “ultra” mob. The principle was a wise one; only its execution would be too late. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1290 (#expands, via linked claim)

In a world of such rapid change it was also unreal to suggest that four whole years would have to elapse between any cease-fire and the referendum deciding, on de Gaulle’s three options. Given the precedent of past bad experiences with French government promises for the future, from Blum—Viollette onwards, it was asking a lot of trust and confidence from the Algerian Muslims of all political hues. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to believe (as does Edward Behr) that “Had such an offer been made in the first three years of the rebellion, it is virtually certain that it would have been immediately accepted by the rebel leaders.” It is also no exaggeration to regard de Gaulle’s “self-determination” speech of 16 September 1959 as one of the most decisive events of the whole war. Here was a true watershed; nothing that went before was any longer relevant, and nothing could be the same again. There could no longer be any convincing prospect of Algérie française. The genie was out of the bottle; once the fateful word “self-determination” was spoken, it could never be corked up again. In retrospect this was also, perhaps, the last moment in the war when there was a possibility of a compromise peace by which the pieds noirs could have remained in their beloved homeland, one way or another. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1056 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: De Gaulle relocated his Algerian government to escape pied noir mobs — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1290; de Gaulle’s self-determination offer came too late to save Algérie française — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1056

Related

• De Gaulle relocated his Algerian government to escape pied noir mobs (similarity 0.92)
• de Gaulle’s self-determination offer came too late to save Algérie française (similarity 0.88)
• Pied noir settlers plotted repeatedly to kill de Gaulle over Algeria (similarity 0.81)
• Ultras believed they could depose de Gaulle as they had raised him (similarity 0.81)
• Algeria was only one element of de Gaulle’s larger ambitions. (similarity 0.81)
• De Gaulle took power in June 1958 offering no Algerian solution. (similarity 0.81)
• De Gaulle’s true intentions on Algeria remain a fundamentally contested riddle. (similarity 0.81)
• De Gaulle hid his Algerian self-determination policy because public opinion was unready (similarity 0.81)
• De Gaulle’s pursuit of national grandeur dictated abandoning Algeria (similarity 0.80)
• Junior officers saw Algerian independence immediately in de Gaulle’s self-determination speech (similarity 0.80)
• De Gaulle’s intransigent refusal to yield to the riots proved strategically correct (similarity 0.80)
• The O.A.S. continued assassinating de Gaulle long after Algeria fell. (similarity 0.80)
• De Gaulle restructured Algerian governance into a two-tier hierarchy to tighten control. (similarity 0.80)
• De Gaulle’s pursuit of national grandeur required sacrificing Algeria. (similarity 0.80)
• Delouvrier’s withdrawal from Algiers demoralized the insurgents (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• De Gaulle relocated his Algerian government to escape pied noir mobs #expands (0.85) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1290
• de Gaulle’s self-determination offer came too late to save Algérie française #expands (0.80) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1056