France/Stay Behind
 France/Stay Behind(Stay Behind)   | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1945 |
| Parent organization | Operation Gladio |
| NATO's stay behind which were involved in several assassinations and coup attempts against President de Gaulle | |
Background
The first national elections took place in October 1945. Due to the enormous 'street cred' of the communists during the resistance, the communist party won the elections with flying colors. With 26% for the Communists and 24% for the Socialists, the left-wing camp formed a large majority, compared to only 23% for the right-wing camp in the capacity of the Popular Republican Movement. Charles de Gaulle had promised the communists important ministerial posts, but he did not keep his word. The protest was so fierce that de Gaulle was eventually forced to resign in January 1946. A logical step now was to divide the ministerial posts among the communists and socialists, but strangely enough, the latter refused. They had heard from good sources that communist participation in the government would mean that France would not be able to enjoy the Marshall Plan funds, which the country desperately needed.[1]
New elections were called in November 1946, but again, the communists came out victorious, this time with their highest score ever of 29%. The United States was now very alarmed and decided to eliminate with all its might the communist party. At the initiative of both the US and the British Special Air Service (SAS), a series of armed networks were installed in France, whose mission was to prevent the CP from taking power, by any means necessary. This "secret army" was codenamed Plan Bleu, and attempted a coup in 1947.
In addition, a new French secret service was installed, but it was soon replaced by a reliable anti-communist secret service, the Service de Documentation Extérieure et de Contre-Espionnage (SDECE) due to the presence of former communist resistance fighters in the former.[1]
