FRANCE: Le Grand Sphinx

In the hunting lodge at Marly-le-Roi, 16 miles from Paris, former President Charles de Gaulle cloaked himself in complete reticence. The Government cloaked his residence with watchful police, who did not interfere with the General’s liberty but checked every one of his visitors.

What did le grand Charlie think of all this? “Silent as the Sphinx,” reported the weekly Le Clou, “De Gaulle amuses himself with the subtle game of enigmas.” Rumor whirled among left-wingers of an impending rightist coup. “De Gaulle’s intransigent friends,” said Le Clou, “dream for their Idol a destiny either like a return from the island of Elba or one resulting from a big scuffle. . . .

“Because of these rumors, which have reached official ears, De Gaulle is ‘protected’ by his successors. One might as well write that he is under house arrest.”