NOMINEE: Charles de Gaulle
NOMINATED BY: Jacques
Chirac, President of France
If we are to single out a personality among all
those who have shaped contemporary history, I would cite General
Charles de Gaulle. He was the incarnation of honor and courage. I
had the privilege of knowing him and of working at his side. I
learned from him that intimate, almost mystical, alliance between
a nation and its leader. The relationship between De Gaulle and
France was a personal and unique bond. During World War II, he
was the symbol of the Resistance and later the spirit of reform.
He restored political and economic stability. Never give up--have
the courage to say no--embrace a collective ambition that leaves
behind special interests: that is the message of Gaullism. It is
one for all times and all nations. De Gaulle not only affirmed a
certain idea of France. He also had a certain idea of mankind.
And that idea allowed him to accomplish the impossible. -- Jacques
Chirac, President of France
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