INTERVIEW
Catherine Nay, editorialist Europe 1, presents "Souvenirs, memories", at Robert Laffont. She traces her rich personal and professional life, in contact with the politicians of this world. President, minister, socialist, centrist, Gaullist, but also journalists of Europe 1 and Express, the book presents a gallery of portraits. The editorialist gives his stories, especially about the period of May 1968. At the time, a journalist at the Express, she closely follows the events.
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"The general, during May 68, it was rather for the castagne," recalls Catherine Nay. "He told Pierre Messmer (Minister of the Armed Forces, ed) : 'Listen we will shoot in the air, they will go like sparrows and then if it does not go you shoot in the legs'. he had answered 'listen to my general, it's not regulation I would not do it.' "
"There were no breakers, no black block"
During the events of May, Catherine Nay participates in a demonstration, with the newspaper Express. "It was a show of hands, I did not dare not raise my hand," says the reporter. "I wanted to see what a demonstration was all about, and then I saw what it was like to have a demonstration framed by the CGT: it goes by and it does not flinch, there were no breakers, no black block. "
"At that time, 'the insurgents' of May '68 said that there had been 15 missing, they were thought dead," says Catherine Nay. Gaullist power is pointed out. "The leader of the PSU at the time (Unified Socialist Party, ndrl) had told me 'you'll see we'll find them, floating in the Seine, that's your Gaullist power!' I thought I was irresponsible and we were very scared. " Finally, there were no deaths during these demonstrations. "Pompidou was obsessed, he said to himself" if there is a death, it's the fall of the regime, "says Catherine Nay.
Catherine Nay also returns on the weekend of Pentecost, just after the announcement of the holding of legislative elections by General de Gaulle, at the time when the deputies are distributed in the constituencies. The general had demanded that all fuel pumps be replenished after a month of shortage. "The government had stocks kept in the Bois de Boulogne," says the journalist. "You can not imagine the traffic jams: all the people who had a car in Paris left to breathe in. And during the weekend there were 70 dead on the roads and 600 injured, but that did not shock anyone. "