President Mitterrand's Last Show

Dry and Warm, Partly Sunny

At nine o'clock in the Place Charles de Gaulle, familiarly known as the Etoile - because it is an old name for it, and nobody wants to call it PCdG - there was not much place left.

Two hundred seventy degrees of it were being occupied by official tribunes, somewhat like bleachers, with plastic roofs. Two of the twelve tribunes were reserved for the public; the rest of the public could watch giant projection screens errected on the Champs-Elysees and in Etoile itself, facing west. The rest of the tribunes were occupied heads of state, parlimentarians, bureaucrats, officials, personnalities, the military, veterans, relatives of the men and women in the parades, and there was one tribune for the ladies and gentlemen of the world's press.

Diagram of seating etc for the Etoile ceremony

The result of this hugely large official gathering was that the participants could not see the public, and the public couldn't see the participants live.

As there was a fairly large, noisy, and late party in the streets of Paris the night before, I would have been surprised if much public was present. Sad to say, I can not verify this one way or the other.

The arrival of the 'dignitaries' was run like the metro line somewhere under our feet. With fleets or large cars in convoys, appearing suddenly from behind the press tribune, stopping briefly in front of the official tribune opposite, and whisking away again. I really did see King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain arrive - and - I think, Mrs Tipper Gore, or her standin - she was wearing a pink suit, the only one I saw all day. Through all this construction brick-a-brack you could see her in the official tribune, until the King of Sweden arrived. Then the pink was gone. Well, all together, it would have been an impressive sight if you, or I, could have seen it.

One of these convoys arrived - some of them were pre-announced - and the new President of France, Jacques Chirac, got out of his car and into the tribune so fast.... several thousand people who had better seats than mine clapped and cheered quite enthusiastically - so he probably was not a standin.

Mr François Mitterrand arrived with his typical dignity and was likewise honored with clapping and cheering - that had a honest and sincere tone to it. He rode around the place, counterclockwise, decended and saluted the troops. Then with a handful of leaders from yesterday's government, he proceeded to the official tribune, on foot.

Mitterrand reviews the troups.

Monsieur le President then invited certain of the dignitaries to join him in going to the Arc itself in the center and there placed a wreath, had a minute of silence, and they all returned to their tribune.

Jeeps parade past the tribune at Etoile.

Then followed the military parades. I wonder if they tone down their music somehow. I remember being frightened out of my wits as a kid whenever I had to witness highlanders or the King's own - it was a long time ago - Royal Musketeers and all their brass and drums and those... bagpipes. But today was somehow like the weather - soft.

The oddest part of all was the exhibition of motorcycle trick riding. Okay, it wasn't 'trick' riding; it was driving motorcycles in intricate patterns. Much better by far, than the jet airplane trick stuff they used to do, right over your heads. Right? Military show: scare the devil out of you!

But not so today. It was soft. No more wars; only 'peacekeeping.'

The tradionally last to file by were last again today - the French Foreign Legion. You may think of this outfit as sort of an international grab-bag of militant misfits - but when they march - they look... organised, and very much like guys you shouldn't mess with. In keeping with the day, their band, too, was soft. Or was it my head?

There was a simple announcement that Mr Mitterrand had left, and that was the end of the show in the Place Charles de Gaulle, familiarly known as the Etoile, today in Paris.

Updated 05/95