Францияның 83-ші премьер-министрі Пьер Жозеф Огюст Мессмер

83rd Prime Minister of France

Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer (pjɛʁ mɛsmɛʁ; 20 March 191629 August 2007) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV – and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974. A member of the French Foreign Legion, he was considered one of the historical Gaullists, and died aged 91 in the military hospital of the Val de Grâce in August 2007. He was elected a member of the Académie française in 1999; his seat was taken over by Simone Veil.

Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was born in Vincennes in 1916. He graduated in 1936 in the language school ENLOV and the following year at the Ecole nationale de la France d'outre mer (National School of Oversea France). He joined in London General Koenig's military staff and participated in the landings in Normandy in August 1944 and the Liberation of Paris. Visiting de Gaulle in Paris, he was implicitly granted permission for his change of policies in Cameroon, which exchanged repression for negotiations with the UPC. Messmer gave permission for former Algerian War veterans to fight in Katanga against the newly independent Congo and United Nations peacekeeping forces. He confided to Roger Trinquier that it was de Gaulle's ambition to replace the Belgians and control a reunited Congo from Élisabethville. Along with the Minister of Research, Gaston Palewski, Messmer was present at the Béryl nuclear test in Algeria, on 1 May 1962 during which an accident occurred. Officials, soldiers, and Algerian workers escaped as they could, often without wearing any protection. Palewski died in 1984 of leukemia, which he always has attributed to the Beryl incident, and Messmer always remained close mouthed on the affair. De Gaulle said that along with Maurice Couve de Murville, Messmer was "one of his two arms. then as Prime Minister from July 1972 to May 1974.

He succeeded in this function to Jacques Chaban Delmas, who had adopted a parliamentary reading of the Constitution, which Messmer opposed in his investiture speech. Due to President Georges Pompidou's illness, he dealt with the everyday administration of the country and adopted a conservative stance opposed to Chaban Delmas' previous policies. Henceforth, he stopped the liberalization of the ORTF media governmental organization, naming as its CEO Arthur Conte, a personal friend of Pompidou. In 1974, when Pompidou died, those close to Messmer encouraged him to run for president. He accepted at the condition of Chaban Delmas, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and Edgar Faure's withdrawals. Faure accepted, as well as Giscard on the condition that Chaban Delmas also withdrew himself. However, Chaban Delmas, despite the Canard enchaînés campaign against him, maintained himself, leading Messmer to withdraw his candidacy. Finally, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, a conservative rival of the Gaullists, was elected. He served as prime minister for another few weeks after Pompidou's death, ending his term after the presidential elections. Jacques Chirac replaced him on 29 May 1974. After the election of Giscard, he never held again ministerial offices, and became one of the historical voices of Gaullism. Along with some other former Resistants, he demanded Papon's pardon in 2001. He was also chancellor of the Institut de France (1998–2005) before becoming honorary chancellor. In October 2001, Messmer succeeded to the General Jean Simon as President of the Fondation de la France libre (Foundation of Free France).