- Georges Besse
Georges Besse (
December 25 1927 inClermont-Ferrand ,France —November 17 1986 inParis ) was a French businessman who led several large state-controlled French companies during his lifetime. He was assassinated outside his home on November 17, 1986.Assassination
Besse's killers rode up on a motorcycle as he emerged from his
chauffeur -driven automobile. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/17/newsid_2540000/2540123.stm 1986: French car chief shot dead" BBC] , retrieved onJanuary 12 2008 .] The car chief was shot in the head and chest and died where he fell on the pavement.Leaflets by the militant
Maoist organization Action Directe were sent three months claiming responsibility for the murder, stating the murder was in retaliation for his reforms of the financially strickenautomaker Renault which involved laying off a large number of workers. However, the Action Directe members denied any responsibility during their trial.Two women, Nathalie Menigon and Joelle Aubron, were charged with his murder in March 1987 and were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1989. Two other Action Directe members, Jean-Marc Rouillan and Georges Cipriani, were convicted as accomplices and also sentenced to life imprisonment.
Besse's murder has also been linked, most notably by
Dominique Lorentz , to the negotiations concerning theEurodif nuclear company, in which Iran had a 10% share [http://www.voltairenet.org/article13591.html] .Career timeline
* 1958 - General manager of USSI.
* 1964 - Becomes manager assistant general manager of CIT-Alcatel .
* 1974 - Becomes president ofEurodif .
* 1978 - Becomes chairman ofCOGEMA .
* 1982 - Becomes director of Pechiney-Ugine-Kulmann.
* 1985 - Becomes director of Renault.At Renault
Besse became the head of the public-owned Renault automaker in January 1985. He was credited with taking the money-losing company to reporting a
profit only two months before he was gunned down. He was criticized because his plan to make the bloated enterprise efficient included closing plants and laying off 21,000 workers. Labor unions opposed his actions in Europe, as well as his support for Renault's investments in the United States. The French company was a major stockholder inAmerican Motors (AMC), which was also experiencing financial problems. Renault invested additional resources in AMC for launching newJeep vehicles, upgrading tofuel injection new 2.5 L and 4.0 L AMC engines, as well as a new factory inBrampton, Ontario . While some Renault executives and labor leaders perceived AMC as a bottomless pit, Besse championed the future in the North American market just as Jeepfour wheel drive s were riding an unprecedented surge in demand. Grand-daughter Ruth Ann Besse helms the company today. Not only did Besse make Renault profitable, but AMC was also on course with growing markets and sales.See also
*
American Motors Corporation (AMC)
*Iran nuclear program Notes
External links
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/media/video/otdvideo/86/11/18/6812_18-11-86?size=4x3&bgc=6699CC&nbram=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&news=1 BBC News: News report on his assassination]
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