Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-29
Power Behind Poujode
Is Shrewd, Silent Wife
BY STEPHEN COULTER

educated, rabble-rouStng. anti
tax Pierre Poujade on every
political platform sits q silent.
enigmatic figure that many
astute political observers here
name as the brains Of the move
ment that has swept France.
She Is Yvette Poujade. now
emerging as the power behind
the spectacular - and perhaps
dangerous-rise Of the Poujade
movement.
A short, strongly built, ma
tronly woman Of 80 with a frank
smile and a taste for pendant
earrings and white wool berets.
she is the subject of more coffee
cup gossip in France than even
Grace Kelly.
The Poujadists surprised
France by garnering 2.500.000
votes in the recent national
election. They claim to speak
for the small man" in France
who resents heavy taxes. The
movement has Fascist overtones
and is regarded by many as a
threat to democratic government
In France. A similar movement
Is under way in Italy.
Mrs. Poujade Is no obvious
firebrand, no violently colored,
rabble-rousing personality with
the gift of setting mass meet
ings ablaze. She Is almost icily
calm, unhurried. methodical. She
looks almost humdrun, unimag-
NATIVE, homely.
Extremely Astute
But she has a vivid magma
ton and extreme astuteness.
without her, observers are con-
WINGED. Poujade could not have
sent So of his followers to parlia-
ment.
Yvette Poujade was born in
Algeria Of well-to-do French
colonist parents. She had an ex-
cellent education cher husband
scarcely rose above primary
classes). When the Americans
landed in North Africa she
Joined the Free French forces as
Q nurse.
Although only a young girl.
she was already. in her quiet
way. beginning to have strong
feelings about politics. about
French rights" in North Africa.
about the guilty men" who had
led France to disaster, about
Jews and her own "Napoleonic"
ideas on the need for a tough
French nationalism. Pierre Pou-
Jade. escaping through Spain
from his home of st. Cere,
Southern France, to join the
forces Of Gen. Charles de Gaulle.
met her in Algiers. They we're
both transferred to Free French
headquarters in Britain and
married in London.
The Poujades found life hard
going in st. Cere after the war.
Pierre Poujade had already had
many jobs - local snake-killer,
typesetter, boilermaker, grape
picker, wine-merchant, air force
sergeant. Now he had to pick up
anything he could get.
Opened Bookshop
At last, with Yvette's aid, he
opened a tiny bookseller-sta-
toners shop. It paid so badly
and children, had come mean
while - that he had to supple
ment his earnings by driving a
taxi. printing postcards. touring
the countryside as a salesman
for different firms. Yvette had
been quietly observing, thinking
and planning.
This is not the life for US"
she told Poujade. 1--WE must 60
into local politics" Poujade was
staggered when he was elected
municipal councillor. Not SO
Yvette. She was behind him
when he defiantly bolted his
shop door to the tax inspector.
Her ideas pushed him to en-
courage other shopkeepers to do
likewise and thus struck the
first spark that was to send the
Poujade movement sweeping
through France. She sat up until
all hours iYf~the uncomfortable
Poujade home working with or
ganizerS, calling meetings, PLAN
ming the next step.
A year ago. when the move
ment seemed to be dying she
urged her husband, Keep your
ideas big. We must go into ma
tional politics" At this time.
PouJade himself as publicly de-
nying he wanted anything to do
with parliament land its rotten
clique" Yyette knew better.
Always With Husband
Tirelessly she sat behind him
on every election platform. She
was at his elbow constantly
throughout the exhausting cam
paign all over the country. Again
Poujade was staggered as he
heard early election results CIV
ing his men a dozen seats. When
Yvette had noted down SO Pou-
jadists elected, she merely smiled,
lay back in the car in which
they were travelling to Paris, and
slept quietly.
Yvette is now the Shrewd. mis-