"Versailles is now saved," beamed André Cornu, French under secretary of state for fine arts. Calling in Paris newsmen he triumphantly announced that the money had finally been raised to start a major restoration job on the famous old palace which has long been in seedy disrepair (TIME, Dec. 10, 1951).
The announcement was something of a personal triumph for Cornu. A little over a year ago he asked the government to put up 5 billion francs (close to $15 million) for the five-year reconstruction job. The government would only promise 365 million francs a year, so Cornu turned fund-raiser himself....
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