The bazooka plot aimed to install a government of national unity behind de Gaulle

Evidence

Under interrogation Castille admitted to setting up the “bazookas” and firing them; while Kovacs revealed that the object behind the plot was to replace the mistrusted bradeur de l’Indochine, Salan, by his former junior there, General Cogny. Following upon this, it was hoped, a “government of national unity” would then be brought to power in Paris. In his deposition Kovacs implicated the involvement behind the conspiracy of a Comité des Six of French politicians — among whom the name of Senator Michel Debré, close associate of General de Gaulle, Minister of Justice in 1958 and later prime minister, figures. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 543 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

On the morning of the 27th the crisis reached its peak. Parisians looked up nervously at every plane passing overhead; Simone de Beauvoir had Freudian nightmares about a python dropping on her from the sky; and in the Ministry of the Interior Jules Moch received an intelligence report that “Résurrection” was now scheduled to take place on the following night. He ordered his C.R.S. force to prepare to defend government buildings. Meanwhile, young para officers were arriving in the capital in civilian clothes, carrying suspiciously heavy suitcases. Among their targets was the kidnapping of Jules Moch himself, and with them—on his own mission—came Lagaillarde. Then, early in the afternoon, de Gaulle—apparently as a result of the mounting pressures upon him—issued a communiqué announcing that he had begun the “regular process” of forming a legitimate republican government, and condemning any threat to public order. At the same time he sent a signal to Salan couched in even more categoric terms, and astutely sent via official channels, in which he called for the dropping of all thoughts of “Résurrection”. … I want to be summoned as an arbiter coming at the demand of the whole country, to take over direction of the country so as to spare it useless rendings. I must appear as the man of reconciliation and not as the champion of one of the factions currently confronting each other. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 899 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The bazooka conspirators aimed to replace Salan with Cogny and install national unity government; The bazooka plot against Salan aimed to install a government of national unity — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 543; Paris-based parachutist plotting bent de Gaulle toward seizing power. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 899

Related

• The bazooka conspirators aimed to replace Salan with Cogny and install national unity government (similarity 0.96)
• The bazooka plot against Salan aimed to install a government of national unity (similarity 0.95)
• An attempted bazooka assassination of Commander-in-Chief Salan killed his chef-de-cabinet instead (similarity 0.92)
• Paris-based parachutist plotting bent de Gaulle toward seizing power. (similarity 0.85)
• Sharmarkee included opposition ministers to guard national unity (similarity 0.84)
• President Coty’s threat to resign broke the impasse for de Gaulle’s return. (similarity 0.80)

Broader Connections

• The bazooka plot against Salan aimed to install a government of national unity #corroborates (0.95) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 543
• Paris-based parachutist plotting bent de Gaulle toward seizing power. #expands (0.70) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 899