Opposed to decolonization and independence during the Algerian war (1954-1962), Tixier-Vignancour was, along with Jean-Marie Le Pen, one of the founders of the National Front for French Algeria ("Front National pour l'Algérie Française") in July 1960. As a lawyer, he defended Raoul Salan in 1962, the founder of the pro-colonial paramilitary organization OAS and one of the four generals who directed the Algiers putsch of 1961. Salan was spared the death penalty and instead condemned to prison. Tixier-Vignancour’s defense credited for "saving Salan’s neck", this event boosted his standing among nationalists. He served also as a defense counsel for colonel Jean Bastien-Thiry, executed for attempting to assassinate Charles de Gaulle during the of August 1962.