Salan accepted full responsibility for O.A.S. atrocities despite nominal control only
Evidence
Yet, even as a fugitive, he remained ever the “Mandarin”. “Decidedly a strange person, this Salan, who may well singularly disconcert future historians,” wrote his “Boswell”, Captain Ferrandi, to whom Salan seemed just as elegant and impassive as when living in luxury in Madrid; possibly “even gayer, less systematically sceptical, more confident, more resolved. The cautious dilettante found himself once again leader of a band.” … But he was never, in fact, to be much more than titular “leader” of the O.A.S. Procrastinating, sometimes maddeningly indecisive, and removed from day-to-day control as a result of the frequent changes of domicile imposed on him by the non-stop police hunt, for much of the time Salan was completely out of touch with the O.A.S.’s activities. Frequently he would evince indignation and shock to Ferrandi at O.A.S. outrages of which he had no forewarning. Nevertheless — though vanity may have persuaded him to remain titular Commander-in-Chief — it must be to Salan’s credit that, when the chips were down, he insisted on bearing full responsibility for all the bestialities perpetrated in his name, never “passing the buck” to his more ruthless subordinates. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1461 (
#corroborates, via linked claim)
Categorization
- XREF: connects to: Salan was a largely symbolic O.A.S. leader out of daily control — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1461
Related
- Salan was a largely symbolic O.A.S. leader out of daily control (similarity 0.98)
- Forcing Salan underground may have been a tactical error by de Gaulle (similarity 0.79)
- Salan’s nickname reflected his inscrutability rather than his time in Asia (similarity 0.79)
- Salan’s character fused colonial warfare with clandestine intelligence experience (similarity 0.79)
Broader Connections
- Salan was a largely symbolic O.A.S. leader out of daily control
#corroborates(0.85) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1461