It was the longest Cabinet meeting in the nine years of the Fourth Republic. For 8½ hours Premier Mendés-France listened to the protests of his political colleagues, readvanced his argument, and finally got his way: the appointment of Gaullist Jacques Soustelle, 43, as governor general of Algeria. When they heard the news, opposition Deputies cried "à la soupe!" (i.e., gravy). In his own Radical Party, Mendés had to face severe criticism. Said ex-Premier René Mayer: "This action may gain the Prime Minister votes from some other quarters, but it may well cost him...
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