July 10, 2005

HEY, AN ACORN!:

Report: Mitterrand OK'd Greenpeace bomb (AP, July 10, 2005)

A former head of France's spy agency claimed that the late President Francois Mitterrand approved the sinking of a Greenpeace ship in a New Zealand harbor 20 years ago, according to a French newspaper report. A man was killed and the case turned into an embarrassment for Paris.

Top officials in France were fired in the aftermath, but Mitterrand's exact role has been unclear.

In its Sunday-Monday edition, daily Le Monde published extracts of a 23-page, handwritten account by Adm. Pierre Lacoste, the former head of DGSE spy agency, in which he says that Mitterrand authorized the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland's port.

The ship was preparing for a protest at sea against French nuclear bomb tests in the South Pacific when the explosion ripped open its hull and the vessel sank. Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira died.


Posted by Orrin Judd at July 10, 2005 6:29 AM
Comments

"Acorn"

Precisely. Decisive action by the French. It's been down hill ever since.

Posted by: h-man at July 10, 2005 3:33 PM

I was in France when it happened and the reaction of ordinary Frenchmen was along the lines of the L'Express headline, 'Green-Plouf!'

'Plouf' is French for 'Boom!'

Lots of cheers and laughter. And everyone knew that Mitterand, who had no tolerance for nonsense, particularly from Anglophone useful idiots for the Soviet Union, ordered it.

Posted by: bart at July 10, 2005 3:45 PM

Nobody messes with the mighty French.

Posted by: Palmcroft at July 10, 2005 5:37 PM

But Discard-That-Tang & ChIraqiraq would never take such action - unless a special Swiss bank account was opened for them, bien sur!

Posted by: obc at July 10, 2005 6:26 PM

The French have no sympathy for environmental extremists, but they cheer on the wingnut who destroys McDonalds reataurants? I guess we know what sits atop their hierarchy of values - food.

Posted by: Robert Duquette at July 10, 2005 10:17 PM

Robert,

Most French people see Jose' Bove' as an immature ignorant jerk with too much time on his hands. France is full of McDonalds and its local imitators like Quickburger. Why? I don't know. All I can assume is that the bell-shaped curve on IQ operates in France just as in the States.

Posted by: bart at July 11, 2005 9:14 AM

France? Greenpeace? I just don't know. The French loose points for not waiting until they were far out at sea.

Posted by: Robert Schwartz at July 11, 2005 12:03 PM
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