VIDEO. When Georges Pompidou had to face the rumor and hide the illness

“I don’t believe I have what we call a political future, I had a political past, I would perhaps have, God willing, a national destiny, but that’s something else” confided Georges Pompidou a few months before being elected President of the French Republic, on June 15, 1969. Nothing, however, predestined this son of Cantal teachers to the supreme office. It was out of admiration for De Gaulle that this Normal student, passionate about poetry, entered politics.

The documentary Georges Pompidou, the cruelty of power, directed by Jean-Pierre Cottet, is broadcast Wednesday March 27 at 9:10 p.m. on France 3. It provides a documented account of the republican destiny of this grandson of peasants. It details how Georges Pompidou attempted to maintain the legacy of General de Gaulle, to whom he owed so much, while taking the measure of a changing era. The film also highlights the various trials that this president, cut down by illness, had to face.

The Markovic affair distances him from De Gaulle

In September 1968, when Georges Pompidou was no longer Prime Minister, he found himself at the heart of a news story. Stevan Markovic, Alain Delon’s bodyguard, is found dead in a public dump. A rumor quickly spread that “he would have been deleted for having wanted to blackmail personalities who were fans of fine games”. Among the celebrities concerned, the name of Claude Pompidou is circulating. The media took up the matter.

“The activity of the police and justice was directed, not towards the search for the perpetrators of the crime, but towards the search for testimonies and documents which could compromise my wife and me.”

Georges Pompidou

in “Georges Pompidou, the cruelty of power”

Georges Pompidou was especially hurt by the lack of support from the man he thought was his friend: General de Gaulle, who had long been his friend. protected. He feels abandoned and becomes aware of the jealousies his rise arouses. He then decides to fight the rumor. From that moment on, Georges Pompidou made no secret of his desire to succeed De Gaulle. A reality that is taking shape sooner than expected. In April 1969, the general put his mandate at stake in a referendum. The French oppose it, Charles de Gaulle resigns.

The year 1972 plunged him into pain

Georges Pompidou largely won the early presidential election in June 1969. But his health was fragile. Even before his accession to power, he was subject to repeated nosebleeds and flu-like illnesses. After examinations carried out in 1972, he learned that he had Waldenström disease, rare pathology of the bone marrow. He decides not to reveal it publicly.

His great fatigue, his annoyances and his face puffy from massive doses of cortisone raise questions. The president suffered, but he refused to leave his functions, even though he wrote, at the time, a will which he transmitted to his closest advisor, Edouard Balladur. When a journalist asked him if he would run for a second term, he replied:

“Since destiny wanted me to be where I am, I consider that my duty is to put what I have in the service of France, as long as the French want it. on this, and this alone, that I would decide when the day comes.”

Georges Pompidou

in “Georges Pompidou, the cruelty of power”

In private, however, he confides to his adopted son Alain that he will not be able to “never face”. Finally, Georges Pompidou died on April 2, 1974 from septicemia.

The documentary Georges Pompidou, the cruelty of powerdirected by Jean-Pierre Cottet, is broadcast on Wednesday March 27 at 9:10 p.m., on France 3 and on the france.tv platform.