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Vive la France. Taking the rostrum, he explained that he had not one word of recrimination against the Assembly decision. Deputies, accustomed to silence from defeated Premiers, listened with astonishment as he went on: "The work accomplished by this defeated government will not be wiped out either in this field or in others. . . What has been placed in motion will not be stopped."
Suddenly the pent-up tension of two days exploded in the Chamber. Deputies, outraged because they thought Mendès was appealing over their heads to the people, broke into an angry roar: "Fascist! Fascist!" They pounded on desks, booed, groaned, howled. Most noise came from the M.R.P. The Socialists (who had supported Mendès throughout) tried to drown them out with applause. M.R.P. Deputy Francois de Menthon came running down the aisle, waving his arms, charging violation of parliamentary rules.
Mendès took a sip of milk, started to say. "The government has the right ..." Louder and louder boos and the shrill screech of Communist women Deputies in the upper register interrupted him. "The government has the right . . ." President Schneiter stood up. resplendent in white tie and tails, and called for order.
Mendès gripped the desk, leaned over, his face working with emotion, his lips phrasing sentences that only stenographers could hear: "... I know I have served my country well. I pray that in the future the Assembly may give Frenchmen new reasons for hope and may conquer the hatreds which it has too often put on display. Vive la France!"
Now everyone was standing, booing or cheering. Mendès stepped down, picked up his briefcase, hurried out.
Record of Accomplishment. Behind him, as he climbed into his black Citroën, Pierre Mendès-France left not only a noisy Chamber but 233 days of accomplishment: He had:
¶ Negotiated a cease-fire in Indo-China.
¶ Forced the Assembly to decide on EDC (against) and then to accept German rearmament.
¶ Opened negotiations for a settlement in Tunisia by offering autonomy.
¶ Reached agreement with Germany on the Saar.
¶ Persuaded Britain to keep four divisions permanently in Europe.
¶ Restricted the overproduction of alcohol, issued free milk to schoolchildren.
¶ Adopted several overdue constitutional reforms, introduced essential electoral reforms.
¶ Raised the wages of industrial workers, and some government servants.
In his 233 days Premier Mendès-France had visited Geneva, Tunisia, Britain, Belgium, Canada, the U.S., Italy and Germany, confronting chiefs of state as he confronted his own Parliament, with subtly chosen, blunt decisions. He scorned the usual French political practices that exalted negativism into a philosophy. Watching him, millions of Frenchmen forgot their political lethargy and cynicism, cheered "le style Mendès-France." But the politicians whom he so coldly appraised as coldly disliked him. They feared his popularity and could not forgive him his success. They joined. Right and Left, to bring him down before he could proceed to the program he most wanted to put over: a dramatic overhaul of the French economic system.