Pflimlin, who had never met de Gaulle before, was struck by his contempt for the Algiers putschists (‘not very interesting people’). Even so, he refused to denounce the army publicly: if he did, how could he be sure that Pflimlin would then cede power to him? Pflimlin wrote later: ‘This time I felt we were at the heart of the matter. He was observing me, weighing me up, mistrustful, a little disdainful, and doubtless coldly calculating.’ Pflimlin replied that, if de Gaulle condemned the army, the government would resign and smooth his return to power. De Gaulle was not convinced: ‘When one has
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