National Archives: French planted 'bomb' in London to test security

[jakeXT]

A French secret agent planted a “bomb” in the grounds of the residence of Paris’s envoy to London to test British security – provoking fury when it was discovered by Scotland Yard.

Two containers of high explosive were discovered by a sniffer dog shortly before the ambassador was due to host President François Mitterrand in October 1984. When police questioned the security officer responsible, more explosive was found stashed in his hotel room.

Cabinet minutes show that ministers, who had recently survived the Brighton bomb, were unimpressed by the failure of Paris to offer an explanation for the incident, describing it as “inexplicable and unacceptable”.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/national-archives-french-planted-bomb-in-london-to-test-security-9035751.html

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. On the BBC radio programme about the archive, Neil Kinnock, then opposition leader, said:

When I spoke to Mitterrand a couple of months later, Mitterrand said "I can bear no part of the blame, because I say to you with regret, I usually don't know what the secret service is doing". And I said "would you like to?" "If I could pick and choose the consequences", he said".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03mj8lz

[jakeXT]

2. Reminds me a bit of Bush and not De Gaulle

Former CIA lawyer says Bush didn't know about waterboarding

...

“The one senior US government national security official during this time — from August 2002 through 2003 — who I did not believe was knowledgeable about the EITs was President Bush himself,” Rizzo wrote. “He was not present at any of the Principals Committee meetings … and none of the principals at any of the EIT sessions during this period ever alluded to the President knowing anything about them.”

...

http://rt.com/usa/rizzo-memoir-bush-waterboard-095/

On August 22, 1962, President Charles De Gaulle of France survives one of several assassination attempts against him thanks to the superior performance of the presidential automobile: The sleek, aerodynamic Citroen DS 19, known as "La Deesse" (The Goddess).

..

In August 1962, a group called the OAS (Secret Army Organization in English) plotted an assassination attempt on President De Gaulle, who they believed had betrayed France by giving up Algeria (in northern Africa) to Algerian nationalists
..
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/citroen-helps-de-gaulle-survive-assassination-attempt