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The French arms business experienced a huge surge following the remarkable performance of the fast, maneuverable Mirage nic fighter-bomber in the hands of Israeli pilots during the 1967 war. Later, in his tilt toward the Arabs, Charles de Gaulle embargoed arms sales to Middle East "front line" nations (Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria) but sold 110 Mirages to Libya on the rather shaky (though apparently unbroken) understanding that they would not be used in combat on the Arab side. The Israelis got around the embargo by buying some stolen plans for the Mirage nic from a Swiss engineer in 1969, and today manufacture a Mirage of their own that is powered by a U.S. General Electric J-79 engine.
In the past five years, the French have learned to merchandise their arms with a salesmanship that would do honor to Sir Basil Zaharoff, the notorious European munitions king who reputedly sold $7 billion worth of weapons in the pre-World War II era. Within a permanent exposition at the Satory Camp in Versailles, prospective customers can leaf through a three-volume catalogue to see pictures of the latest models of French tanks, jet fighters and minesweepers. Before making a final selection, they may discuss the possibilities with France's chief arms merchant, General Hugues de 1'Estoile, 42, a suave, puffy-faced official who learned fluent English in the late 1950s while traveling around the U.S. studying aerodynamics.
More important than salesmanship, however, are the political factors that have contributed to the growth of the French arms business. In Latin America, for instance, the French have benefited from a U.S. policy (discarded last year) of refusing to sell expensive weaponry to Latin American countries —which then simply shopped in Europe. In the Middle East, the French have managed to make sizable arms sales both to Arab states that dislike the U.S. and to others that distrust the Soviet Union. In his travels this week, Foreign Minister Jobert hopes to take further advantage of this reluctance to deal with the superpowers—and of the natural trading links that already exist between the Arabs and the Europeans.
* Which led Columnist Art Buchwald to imagine this exchange between a local chieftain and a Bedouin. "Ahmed, you lazy lout," shouts the chief, "wake up! I have a gift from the King for you. It is the latest French fighter plane, the Phantom-Mirage. It will fly at speeds over 1,100 miles an hour and can carry six air-to-air supersonic missiles. Now what do you say?" Replies Ahmed: "I still would rather have a camel."