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Pierre Messmer, Ex-French Premier, 91, DiesPARIS, Aug. 31 (AP) — Pierre Messmer, a member of the French Resistance and prime minister from 1972 to 1974, died Wednesday in Paris. He was 91. His death was confirmed by former President Jacques Chirac. Mr. Messmer entered the Resistance in 1940, fleeing Nazi-occupied France for England on a cargo ship. He took part in major campaigns in North Africa and elsewhere and fought on the beaches of Normandy in June 1944. After the war he entered politics and was appointed prime minister in July 1972 by President Georges Pompidou. After Pompidous death in April 1974, Mr. Messmer was widely viewed as a potential presidential candidate, but he was outmaneuvered by political rivals and never held another major office. Born on March 20, 1916, in Vincennes, a Paris suburb, Mr. Messmer studied to work as an administrator in Frances colonies. After World War II, he worked in Vietnam and later West Africa on the decolonization of Frances overseas possessions. He was named minister of the armed forces under de Gaulle in 1960, when Frances war in Algeria — the jewel in its colonial crown — was reaching its bloody apex. After Algeria won its independence in 1962, Mr. Messmer led an overhaul of the French Army. Tag CloudExternal InformationAdditional InformationBattered minister puts on brave face...The mango tree murder mystery... Sri Lankan bus blast leaves 24 dead... Security companies fall foul of gun controls... Where Am I?News Main Page - Business - Pierre Messmer, Ex-French Premier, 91, Dies |
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