Francois Mitterand Dies at 79

PARIS: Former French President Francois Mitterand succumbed to prostate cancer Monday. He served longer (14 years) as France's president than anyone since Napoleon III, leaving behind "a mixed legacy that is bound to fascinate and confound historians for decades to come," says Paris bureau chief Thomas Sancton. Mitterand became president in 1981 as a socialist, but two years after sweeping nationalizations and other leftist policies had created runaway inflation, a spiraling trade deficit and a sagging franc, he abruptly changed course and put the country on a solidly capitalistic course. For that, critics called him a cynical, power-thirsty, amoral opportunist. Mitterand's reputation was more severely damaged, however, by revelations that he continued a relationship with former Vichy police chief Rene Bousquet, a Nazi sympathizer, long after Bousquet had been charged with crimes against humanity for his actions in deporting French Jews during World War II. But Sancton concludes that "Mitterand deserves credit for putting France on an unambiguously pro-European integration course. In addition, he was a staunch NATO ally during the Cold War and supported the United States during the Gulf War." After an unprecedented pair of seven-year terms as president, Mitterand left office in 1995, his health in decline. In his last days, the ex-president maintained an office in Paris and was often spotted strolling along the Seine and browsing in bookstores.