The Secret Files

Scenes

Aures Novembre 1, 1954

On November 1st 1954 the horrors of Toussaint Rouge (Red All Saint’s Day) shocked the people of France and Algeria. The Algerian War had just begun and would last until 1962.

Repression

The Fourth Republic of France tried to repress the dissidents. This government was, in the end, unable to make effective decisions regarding the decolonization of Algeria.

Algeria is France

The French government, led by Pierre Mendes France was in favor of reform in Algeria. They wanted to introduce universal suffrage, muslim independence, the teaching of Arabic an voting rights for women. However, this would mean the end of the great priviledges of the Pieds-Noir, the colonists in Algeria.

Integration and Restoring Order

On Febuary 6h 1955 the government of Mendes France was overturned. His successor, Edgar Faure, continued the quest for reforms in French-Algeria. The Muslim community and the colonists should live in harmony together. However, first order must be restored. Unfortunately the Pieds-Noir did not consider assimilation as an option and bloody conflicts continued.

National Liberation Front

Front de Liberation Nationale (National Liberation Front) has only one goal: independence. It consisted of several Algerian groups that worked together for this common purpose. The FLN, which was a socialist political party, had an armed wing called Armee de Liberation Nationale. The ALN fought a guerilla war in Algeria and the Cafe Wars in France.

Inequality

The idea of independence was fostered during the Second World War. Algerians fought together alongside the English and French against the Nazi’s. First Morocco, Indochina and Tunisia began fighting for their freedom. In Algeria the inequality that had repressed the Muslims for many years is represented in the Setif Massacre. On the day that Germany surrendered in 1945, thousands of Muslims were massacred when celebrating the victory over the Nazi’s. The massacre was traumatic for the Algerian Muslims who were not considered by the French as full citizens. Their voting position and poverty led to the eventual uprising in 1954 against the French government.

Jacques Soustelle

Ferhat Abbas wanted a liberal Algerian Republic. Unfortunately he suffered defeat during the election for the Algerian Assembly. Jacques Soustelle was nominated Governor General of Algeria and promoted the integration of Muslims within French-Algeria. He favored justice above order and his policy did not lead to peace.

Resistance, Terror and Collective Responsibility

The fights continued. Those who did not surrender to the French army were mutilated. The FLN resorted to terrorism and guerilla warfare. Both sides would not surrender. And those who did not denounce the resistance fighters were considered responsible as well. “Those who are not with us, are against us,” was a credo amongst all participants in the Algerian war.

Revolution

Brute force, massacres and mutilations created even more resistance and brought all dissidents together. Full equality was rejected, independence was the only way.

New Elections – Guy Mollet

Guy Mollet initially opposed French colonialism and wished to negotiate with the FLN However, after his visit to Algiers, he ordered a militairy counter-terrorism campaign in which torture by the troops was allowed. Popularity of the French government dwindeled and their influence became more and more limited in Algeria. Extremists rejoiced.

Europeans in Algeria

The Pieds-Noir were European settlers who came to Algeria to start a new life. They exploited the local population and were paternalistic. They held on to their authority in Algeria despite the inequality it caused among the Muslim communities.

Conscripts

In 1956 Guy Mollet sent conscripts to Algeria which led to many protests from the Left. His policy of reform could not be seperated from militairy action. Mendes France resigned. In this scene the daily routine of the soldiers is shown. The homefront questioned the mission in Algeria.

Opposition Increases: The FLN gets stronger

Gradually the FLN grew. Armed forces from Tunesia and Morocco, who had just gained their own freedom, joined the war for independence. This scene shows war images of the battles fought between the French and the FLN. Urban guerrilla fights increased and the battle of freedom grew more grim everyday. Robert Lacoste eventually gave in to the demands of the Europeans to impose excessive punishments to the FLN soldiers who were captured.

Urban Bombings

Fear increases in Algiers. Frequent city bombings induce terror and cause many casualties.

Committee for Coordination and Execution

Thirteen members of the FLN developed a political platform that favored politics over militairy activities. Among memebers of the FLN a revolution within a revolution slowly took place. The men who started this rebellion were arrested or killed. Rabah Bitat, Mustapha Benboulaid, Didouche Mourad and Boudiaf were removed. Only Krim Belkacem and Ben M’hidi were left. New arrivals were Saad Dahlab, Benyoucef Benkhedda and Abane Ramdane. These men formed the Committee for Coordination and Execution (C.C.E.) which would lead the revolution from then on.

Conference in Bandung 1955

In this conference the FLN was recognized as the party that solely represeted the Algerian nationality as well as the rights of the Algerian people. At the UN headquarters Algeria became a priority. Antoine Pinay, the foreign minister of France strongly protested for it was a domestic affair. The UN Assembly ignored the French.

International Scene

Morocco, Tunesia and Egypt all manifested themselves as supporters for the independence of Algeria and other African countries still under foreign rule. France tried to end the Algerian revolution by capturing its leaders, but the international political scene was infused with feelings of independence. Incidents such as the Suez Crisis is an example of this Zeitgeist.

Pressure Increases on Both Sides

Ben M’Hidi wanted to take the revolution to the streets. Lacoste’s successor General Massu warned that a reign of terror was unacceptable and ordered to closely control and protect the quarters of Algiers. Psychological actions, that were also used in Indochina, were projected upon the Algerian people. Ben M’Hidi was eventually captured and executed.

Torture Legitimized

Yacef Saadi was still at large and active. The repression that followed terrorist acts was more voilent than ever. No means were left untouched and torture of captives was allowed. Guy Mollet responds that this form of action is intolerable. His comments indicate that he feels that only their barbaric adversaries and not civilized people like the French would use torture as a means of interrogation. He was wrong, torture became part of the system.

Destroy and Build

French policy conducted by Lacoste and Salan wished to destroy the FLN which in three years had united the Algerian people, and build a French-Algeria that had never exited. The Section Administrative Spécialisée, the SAS, were set to this task. They discovered the poverty among the Muslim people who were neglected by the government. The SAS began to educate the people. The army was the force at every level in society. By recruiting Harkis they wanted to create even more resistance against the FLN.

Exile

Many Algerians chose to go into exile. The camps that were created in Tunesia and Morocco were aided by the Red Crescent. Many men joined the ALN, the armed forces of the FLN, to fight against the Europeans in Algeria. The war wasn’t over, it continued from outside the Algerians borders. The FLN and CCE began having problems due to the lack of a central authority. Krim Belkacem, Ben Tobbal and Boussouf would lead the struggle to unify the disparate groups at the borders and begin new attacks against their adversaries.

Border Wars

The border wars were cruel, causing many casualties. The battles ravaged the ALN did bring hope to the people of Algeria. The international community condemned the French interventions. < a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Foster_Dulles”target=”_blank”>Foster Dulles from the United States considered the Algerian affair a domestic matter but found that it must be investigated by NATO if necessary.

UN Security Council

Mr Mongi Slim wanted to bring the matter before the UN Security Council. In Paris the Gaillard Government was overthrown, Algiers rejoiced. However, hostilities continued in Algeria and in France. Political protests were the matter of course.

Europeans Riot- May 1958

The Governer General of Algeria, the symbol of Parisian power, is attacked and overthrown by Pierre Lagaillarde. The Gaullists were put on the starting post. There were riots in Algiers and Paris. The French ministerial crisis in France lasted 28 days. In Algiers the army stayed in power and Salan as Chief Commander. General Jacques Massu became President. A policy of recocilliation was introduced and General De Gaulle was honored.

Integration?

Jacques Soustelle celebrated the integration that was rejected by Algeria for so long. Algeria would remain French and this was to be symbolized by its new presidents: Sid Cara and General Massu. This combination presents the union of the people and the army in Algeria. General De Gaulle speaks on the affair of Algeria as a pending national crisis. The moment has come for him to be useful again to France. However, the Pflimlin government in France did not want to give up its position. Relations between the mainland and Algeria deteriorated and the paratroopers were ready to seize power.

Vive La Republique

Charles de Gaulle was asked to form a new government with him in it. He wanted to propose a new constitution for Algeria, including it in the French Republic to restore order in Algeria. Amidst the storm of the Algerian War, General De Gaulle became a symbol of hope. In this scene he speaks of brotherhood and equality in Algeria.

Voting Equally

For the first time in the history of Algeria a Muslim vote was equal to an European vote. Half of the Algerian population voted for the new constitution. Hard line Europeans as wel as the FLN opposed the outcome. The FLN created a government in exile in Tunis after the elections, the temporary governement GPRA who still fought for independence of the Algerian people. War was in their opinion the only way to gain their freedom.

Constantine Plan

In the attempt to stop the Algerian revolution De Gaulle launched a project aiming at economic, social and cultural development in Algeria. This plan was announced in Constantine on October 4th 1958. He intended to reduce the populair support for the Algerian revolution and the GPRA. The war continued.

Fighting for a Cause

The paratroopers of Challe’s elite units were succesful. Colonel Bigeard explaines their role. These soldiers were fighting for the development of the people, not for the benefit of the colonists. These men were defending the freedom of the entire Algerian nation and that of the West. They stayed in Algeria and tried to crush the FLN and ALN.

Septembre 1959

The war seemed to be won by the French troops. A new constitution was introduced and Algeria was to become an egalitarian French society. The Europeans still opposed the idea that 10 million Algerians would have to integrate with 45 million mainland French. They wanted to keep their privelegded positions and resisted integration. The citizens of Algiers revolted again. In this scene Jo Ortiz addresses the people, warning that the press posed a wrong picture of the protests in Algiers.

De Gaulle Speaks of Self-Determination

De Gaulle did not want to negotiate with the rebels who frustrated the freedom and self-determination of the people of Algeria. He felt that the faith of Algeria was in his hands and the army must therefore obey his orders without hesitation. He who controls the army, controls Algeria. Meanwhile, the FLN and ALN take their chances and grab independence. France is forced to negotiate with the FLN.

Front de l’Algerie Francaise

The FAF was about France and the people, they felt that they represented the will of the people. They wished for a renewed French Algeria. This militant political group mostly consisted of Pieds-Noir and Harkis. They opposed the idea of an Algerian Algeria. The riots in the streets continued.

Algerian Algerians Protest at the Other End of Town

In this scene Algerians protest for an independent Algeria. They want to cash in the promises of the self-determination made by General De Gaulle. The FLN had re-established itself in Algiers.

Liberal Popie Murdered by OAS

Pierre Popie wanted a liberal party in an Algerian Republic in order to reduce the hatred among the different people in Algeria. Full civil rights must be installed for all people. French Algeria was dead according to him. He was assasinated by the Organisation the l’Armee Secrète, the OAS.

Coupe of 1961

De Gaulle recieved a carte blanche by the French government to sort out the Algerian problem. De Gaulle wanted to withdraw troops from Algeria but was frustrated by several army officers. In April of 1961 a revolt of the army took place as they attacked several strategic points in Algeria. The army was in power. Generals Challe, Jouhaud and Zeller were in command. They wished to keep Algeria under French sovereignty. However, many officers refused to rise up against the French government.

State of Emergency

Strikes and protests of all sort of groups condemning the putsch of 1961 in Algeria filled the streets of Paris. De Gaulle promised protection and action in Paris as well as in Algiers. Challe decided to give in, others followed. The coup lasted four days and five nights.

The Terror of the OAS and Crisis during Peace Talks

The OAS opposed the retreat of the army and feared that an army of freedom fighters would arise. They bombed buildings, airports and left threatning messages, creating a reign of fear and terror in the streets of Algiers. Slowly Algeria was moving towards independence and at the same time the terrorist acts of OAS increased. Simultaneously, during the peace talks with the French government, the FLN came into crisis. They disagreed on how to decolonize Algeria and the Sahara and its oil in cooperation with the French government. The choas increased even more. France wanted to keep their oil wells in the Sahara. Without their help the riches of Africa could not be exploited by the Algerian people.

Repatriation, OAS Solidarity and Paris Protests

Chaos continued in Algiers. Many Pieds-Noir supported the radical OAS because they wished to keep Algeria French. Algerians protested against the OAS and celebrated the repatriation of parts of the army from their territory. In Paris riots continued as well which led to a evening curfue for all Africans living in the Paris area. In France the FLN showed his face and led a protest that lasted for three days.

February 8, 1962: The Drama

Protesters againtst the acitons of the OAS filled the streets of Paris. The government responded with brute force injuring many bystanders and killing eight. During the funeral a silent protest showed the will of the nation: stop the violence once and for all. De Gaulle gave up the Sahara, and the Algerian Republic came into being.

Evian, Independence and Resistance

The play was written for the Algerian Republic, now it was down to performing it. The concept of brotherhood was still the undercurrent in the negotiations that led to the independent state of Algeria. The French and Algerians would continue to work together to create a good government in the former colony of France. According to De Gaulle the war did not lead to better understanding between both people. Negotiations in an earlier stage could have prevented many deaths according to the public opinion. Now the time had come to clean up and rebuild. The OAS was still active.

Dispair Among Settlers and the End of the Algerian War

Drama’s continued on the streets of Algiers. Pieds-Noir desperately try to save their position and support the terrorist reign of the OAS. 70 people died. The OAS continues to murder opponents of French Algeria. Eventually the rebels try to destroy everything and burn everything they see. The FLN tries to reach an agreement with the OAS to enable the settlers to remain in Algeria. Finally, he OAS and FLN reach an agreement, and on June 17, 1962 the Algerian War truly ended.