Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry
Encyclopedia
Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry (19 October 1927 – 11 March 1963) was a French
military air weaponry engineer
(creator of the Nord SS.10/SS.11 missile
s) who attempted to assassinate
French President Charles de Gaulle
on 22 August 1962, following Algerian independence. Sentenced to death, he remains the last person to be executed by firing squad in France.
, Meurthe-et-Moselle
. His father had known de Gaulle in the 1930s and was a member of the Gaullist RPF
. He attended the École Polytechnique
, followed by the École nationale supérieure de l'Aéronautique before going into the French Air Force
where he specialized in the design of air-to-air missiles. In 1957 he was promoted to become principal air military engineer. He was married to Geneviève Lamirand, the daughter of Georges Lamirand (1899–1994), the latter had been Vichy France
General Secretary of Youth from September 1940 to March 1943 but the family was Free French. He had three daughters with her.
had been considered an integral part of France. After having returned to power with the stated intention of maintaining the French Départements of Algeria, de Gaulle, in September 1959, made a sudden reversal of policy and instead began opting for the eventual secession of Algeria. (This helped push Bastien-Thiry, who up until this time had been a Gaullist, into becoming an opponent.) As a consequence of this new policy, two referendums on self-determination were held —the first in 1961; and the second on 8 April 1962 (known as the French Évian Accords referendum). The latter was not in accord with Article 3 of the French constitution
, as citizens living in Algeria were barred from any input on the referendum.
Bastien-Thiry, who was involved with the still-mysterious organization, "Vieil État-Major" (which was probably supported by high-ranking officials, politicians and the heads of large companies), soon made contact with the Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS), which was already carrying out assassinations and bombings to try to prevent Algerian independence. Bastien-Thiry was not, however, actually a member of the OAS organization.
Of several, Bastien-Thiry led the most prominent assassination attempt against de Gaulle. In preparation, his group had set up in the Paris suburb of Petit-Clamart
. On 22 August 1962, De Gaulle's car (an unarmoured Citroën DS
) as well as nearby shops were raked with machine gun
fire. De Gaulle, his wife and entourage were able to escape without injury. After the attempt, some fourteen bullet holes were found in the president's vehicle; another twenty were found to have struck the nearby Café Trianon; and an additional 187 spent shell casings were found on the pavement. This event was fictionalized in the 1971 book, "The Day of the Jackal
". De Gaulle credited the unusual abilities of the DS vehicle with saving his life —even though the shots had punctured two of the tires, the car was still able to escape at full speed.
who would be a far-right candidate for the presidential election in 1965. While claiming that the death of de Gaulle would have been justified by the "genocide" of the European population of newly-independent Algeria (a reference mainly to the Oran massacre of 1962
) and the killing of several tens or hundreds of thousands of mostly pro-French Moslems (harkis) by the FLN
, he claimed that while the other conspirators may have admittedly been trying to kill the head of state, he had only been attempting to capture de Gaulle so as to deliver him to a panel of sympathetic judges. Bastien-Thiry, who had been certified as "normal" by psychiatrists in spite of a history of clinical depression, was convicted and sentenced to death.
, after the conspirators' conviction, de Gaulle stated his reasons for refusing to alter the sentence.
Jean Bastien-Thiry was executed by firing squad at the Fort d'Ivry
on 11 March 1963, while clutching his rosary
. He refused to be blindfolded. He was 35 years old.
About Bastien-Thiry, de Gaulle said "The French need martyr
s ... They must choose them carefully. I could have given them one of those idiotic generals playing ball in Tulle
prison. I gave them Bastien-Thiry. They'll be able to make a martyr of him. He deserves it." (Lacouture, 329).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military air weaponry engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
(creator of the Nord SS.10/SS.11 missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s) who attempted to assassinate
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
French President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
on 22 August 1962, following Algerian independence. Sentenced to death, he remains the last person to be executed by firing squad in France.
Life
Bastien-Thiry was born to a family of Catholic military officers in LunévilleLunéville
Lunéville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department and lies on the Meurthe River.-History:...
, Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the Lorraine region of France, named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers.- History :Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French...
. His father had known de Gaulle in the 1930s and was a member of the Gaullist RPF
Rally of the French People
The Rally of the French People was a French political party, led by Charles de Gaulle.-Foundation:...
. He attended the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, followed by the École nationale supérieure de l'Aéronautique before going into the French Air Force
French Air Force
The French Air Force , literally Army of the Air) is the air force of the French Armed Forces. It was formed in 1909 as the Service Aéronautique, a service arm of the French Army, then was made an independent military arm in 1933...
where he specialized in the design of air-to-air missiles. In 1957 he was promoted to become principal air military engineer. He was married to Geneviève Lamirand, the daughter of Georges Lamirand (1899–1994), the latter had been Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
General Secretary of Youth from September 1940 to March 1943 but the family was Free French. He had three daughters with her.
Assassination attempt
Since 1848, French AlgeriaFrench Algeria
French Algeria lasted from 1830 to 1962, under a variety of governmental systems. From 1848 until independence, the whole Mediterranean region of Algeria was administered as an integral part of France, much like Corsica and Réunion are to this day. The vast arid interior of Algeria, like the rest...
had been considered an integral part of France. After having returned to power with the stated intention of maintaining the French Départements of Algeria, de Gaulle, in September 1959, made a sudden reversal of policy and instead began opting for the eventual secession of Algeria. (This helped push Bastien-Thiry, who up until this time had been a Gaullist, into becoming an opponent.) As a consequence of this new policy, two referendums on self-determination were held —the first in 1961; and the second on 8 April 1962 (known as the French Évian Accords referendum). The latter was not in accord with Article 3 of the French constitution
Constitution of France
The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, and replaced that of the Fourth Republic dating from 1946. Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth...
, as citizens living in Algeria were barred from any input on the referendum.
Bastien-Thiry, who was involved with the still-mysterious organization, "Vieil État-Major" (which was probably supported by high-ranking officials, politicians and the heads of large companies), soon made contact with the Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS), which was already carrying out assassinations and bombings to try to prevent Algerian independence. Bastien-Thiry was not, however, actually a member of the OAS organization.
Of several, Bastien-Thiry led the most prominent assassination attempt against de Gaulle. In preparation, his group had set up in the Paris suburb of Petit-Clamart
Clamart
Clamart is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: bas Clamart, the historical centre, and petit Clamart with urbanization developed in the 1960s replacing pea fields. The canton of...
. On 22 August 1962, De Gaulle's car (an unarmoured Citroën DS
Citroën DS
The Citroën DS is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1955 and 1975. Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni and the French aeronautical engineer André Lefèbvre, the DS was known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative...
) as well as nearby shops were raked with machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
fire. De Gaulle, his wife and entourage were able to escape without injury. After the attempt, some fourteen bullet holes were found in the president's vehicle; another twenty were found to have struck the nearby Café Trianon; and an additional 187 spent shell casings were found on the pavement. This event was fictionalized in the 1971 book, "The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal is a thriller novel by English writer Frederick Forsyth, about a professional assassin who is contracted by the OAS, a French terrorist group of the early 1960s, to kill Charles de Gaulle, the President of France....
". De Gaulle credited the unusual abilities of the DS vehicle with saving his life —even though the shots had punctured two of the tires, the car was still able to escape at full speed.
Arrest and trial
Bastien-Thiry was arrested when he came back from a mission in the United Kingdom. He was brought to trial before a military tribunal presided over by General Roger Gardet from 28 January to 4 March 1963. He was defended by a legal team consisting of attorneys Jacques Isorni, Richard Dupuy, Bernard Le Coroller, and Jean-Louis Tixier-VignancourJean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour
Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour was a lawyer and French nationalist politician. He was a candidate in the 1965 French presidential election when his campaign manager was Jean-Marie Le Pen. He won 1,260,208 votes, which was 5.2% of the total, giving him fourth place after De Gaulle, Mitterrand and...
who would be a far-right candidate for the presidential election in 1965. While claiming that the death of de Gaulle would have been justified by the "genocide" of the European population of newly-independent Algeria (a reference mainly to the Oran massacre of 1962
Oran massacre of 1962
The Oran massacre of 1962 was a massacre of European—mostly French—civilians in Oran, Algeria on July 5, 1962, at the end of the Algerian War . Although the majority of deaths were European, Algerians were also massacred. Estimates of the death toll vary widely, from a low of 95 to a high of 3,500....
) and the killing of several tens or hundreds of thousands of mostly pro-French Moslems (harkis) by the FLN
National Liberation Front (Algeria)
The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
, he claimed that while the other conspirators may have admittedly been trying to kill the head of state, he had only been attempting to capture de Gaulle so as to deliver him to a panel of sympathetic judges. Bastien-Thiry, who had been certified as "normal" by psychiatrists in spite of a history of clinical depression, was convicted and sentenced to death.
Possibility of Clemency
De Gaulle as President of France had the power of clemency. He pardoned those who fired the shots, but refused to pardon Bastien-Thiry despite an appeal from Bastien-Thiry's father to spare his son's life. Before the trial the president expressed his intention to grant clemency to Bastien-Thiry, saying the "idiot" would "get off with twenty years and in five years I'll free him" (Lacouture, 328). However, according to his son-in-law Alain de BoissieuAlain de Boissieu
Alain de Boissieu was a French general, Free French, Compagnon de la Libération, Army chief of staff and son-in-law of general Charles de Gaulle.-Life:...
, after the conspirators' conviction, de Gaulle stated his reasons for refusing to alter the sentence.
- Bastien-Thiry had directed his subordinates to fire on a car in which there was an innocent woman present (Madame Yvonne de GaulleYvonne de GaulleYvonne de Gaulle , born as Yvonne Charlotte Anne Marie Vendroux, was the wife of Charles de Gaulle. They were married on April 7, 1921. She was sometimes known as "Tante Yvonne"...
). - He had endangered civilians, namely the Fillon family, who had been traveling in a car near that carrying de Gaulle.
- He had brought foreigners, specifically three Hungarians, into the plot.
- During his trial he claimed he intended to kidnap De Gaulle, not kill him. Asked how he intended to confine the General, Bastien-Thiry replied "We would just have taken away his spectacles and braces". His defence lawyer was heard to mutter "he has just signed his own death warrant", as it was much anticipated that whilst De Gaulle may have pardoned an assassin, he would not pardon an assassin who publicly mocked him.
- Finally, and most serious in de Gaulle's eyes, while the other conspirators did the actual firing and had thus placed themselves in some danger, Bastien-Thiry had only directed events from afar, acting as a lookout for the gunmen.
Execution
The execution took place only one week after the trial, which was unusual. Probably the biggest security plan in French judicial history was organized to take Bastien-Thiry from his cell to the place of his execution. There were 2000 policemen posted along the way and 35 vehicles used. The government feared an escape was planned, and there had been a plan but it was abandoned. Paradoxically, the police plan was headed by Jean Cantelaube, a former security officer of De Gaulle. He has been recently identified as an intelligence agent who provided information to Bastien-Thiry's organization.Jean Bastien-Thiry was executed by firing squad at the Fort d'Ivry
Fort d'Ivry
Fort d'Ivry was built in the Paris suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine between 1841 and 1845 as one of the forts in a ring of strong points surrounding Paris. The fort is about 1 kilometer outside the Thiers Wall, built by the same program in response to a perception that Paris was vulnerable to invasion and...
on 11 March 1963, while clutching his rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
. He refused to be blindfolded. He was 35 years old.
About Bastien-Thiry, de Gaulle said "The French need martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s ... They must choose them carefully. I could have given them one of those idiotic generals playing ball in Tulle
Tulle
Tulle is a commune and capital of the Corrèze department in the Limousin region in central France. It is also the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulle...
prison. I gave them Bastien-Thiry. They'll be able to make a martyr of him. He deserves it." (Lacouture, 329).