The headlines were clear enough, but unbelievable: MENDÈS ATTACKS LIQUOR, PREMIER WANTS TOILERS TO DRINK WATER, GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE REGULATIONS AGAINST ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION.
In a nation that ranks as No. 1 in both the manufacture and consumption of alcoholic beverages, that spends 10% of its national income on liquor, supports one bar for every 68 men, women and children, doles out half a liter of wine every day to its soldiers, the whole thing sounded like some wild practical joke. Diminutive, dynamic Premier Pierre Mendès-France had tilted his lance successfully at many a sturdy French windmill, but thisname of a dog,...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
