FRENCH POLICE, SECRET SERVICE ARE SHUFFLED IN MOROCCO CASE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100360065-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 1, 1999
• Sequence Number: 65
• Publication Date: January 20, 1966
• Content Type: NSPR

'';Y,; T i IZi:: JN?,~
Approved For Release 20011'ti71 :'CIA-RDP75-00149
JAN 2 0. i'doo
CPYRGHT
By James F. Clarity
0/ The Herald Tribune Stall
PAP,IS.
J7~!!J" 11f
ti:J C:~b.JE 1
en. Jacquier ecanic 55 last that the police and the secret, ~ Mr, Ben Barka, 'according
June 14, according to the scrvic edetermine what hap- '. to one report, was knifed to
French 'Who's Who." pened to Mehdi Ben Barka, death by Gen. Mohammed
He is a year younger than. exited leader of the Moroccan Oufkir, Morocco's Interior
his replacement. Gen. Guibaud. opposition who was kidnaped Minister and military chief.
was born Sept. 5,1900, ac- on a Paris street,Oct. 29 and, The report said the general
cording to an Armed Forces apparently murdered in the feared Mr. Ben Barka was
Ministry biography, and thus suburbs. about to be pardoned by King
is 56. Because high Gaullist ofri-' Hassan II and allowed to re-
A government spokesman: ? cials allegedly were informed - turn to Morocco to lead the
said the changes were rot r in advance of the kidnapping opposition party.
related to the Ben Barka case.: p%ans, and because of other ' But the man who gave this'
However, a' communique is- : b+.zarre incidents In.the case, report, an ex-convict named
sued after the Cabinet session' the government '.has been Georges Pigon, was reported
called the case "a criminal . under increasing , pressure by the police to have shot ,
enterprise mounted from the from the press and the public himself ? to death Monday,
start from abroad and wlblcll to find out what actually!. Might as polico wel'e about to
had the benefit of certain happened and why French of- arrest him in his Paris apart-
complicity by agents of the, ficia is became involved. mcnt. According to the police,
secret service or of French . The, government also. was . they knocked on his door, an-
police' officers. The French . distxubed by the effect the pounced their presence, and
government' was not Involved, scandal ' might ~ have on when. no response was forth-
in It. France's relations with.several coming sent for the concierge
President,' -de Gaulle, the Arab nations; 'and.: 'African',.to get the door key. The police'
spokesman' said,' r "insisted" countries'. said Figon shot himself before'
ne e
a milted yesterday that
erch officials were involve
i t ,e Ben Barka scandal..
~fter a meeting of Presiders
d Gaulle and his Cabinet, 1
t. as announced that the police
partment and the secre
s rvice were being administra
t 'ely reshuffled, It was also
d sclosed that Gen. Paul Jac
q tier, chief of the secret ser
cc, was being retired.
ills suce0ts61' is Gen. Eugen-
uibaud, who once served a.
i ilitary intelligence chief 1
I rench Indochina.
Information Minister Yvot
r ourges, in announcing. Gen
cquler's retirement; said h
ready was six month beyond
t o normal; }retirement age
1 The secret service will be
transferred from the Juris-
diction of Premier Georges
Pompidou to that of the Min-
ister of the Army, under yes-
terday's order. The govern-
ment spokesman said the
change had long been con-
templated.
Despite the government de-
nials that the moves were re-
lated to the Ben, Barka case,
it was recalled that two Paris
policemen have been arrested
and have 'admitted helping
take the Moroccan leader on
the sububan ride. They deny
any knowledge of a murder,
and assert they thought they
were taking him for "political,
talks" with unidentified
Moroccan officials.,
In addition, Maj. Marcel
i Le Roy, chief of research of
the secret service, 'admitted
knowing of the abduction
111"Alo AAA
Lpended Tuesday;.:
Approved For Release 2001/07/26 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000100360065-4