Bidault, Georges Augustin (1899-1983)

French Christian Democrat politician, cofounder of the Mouvement Républicain Populaire (MRP) and prime minister 1946 and 1949-50.

A history teacher active in inter-war Catholic movements, Bidault was elected president of the National Resistance Council 1943-44 and served in several Fourth Republican governments as foreign minister. A supporter of Charles de Gaulle in 1958, his commitment to retaining France's presence in Algeria led him into General Salan's pro-settler terrorist Organization de l'Armée Secrète (OAS) from 1961 and then into exile from 1963. In the aftermath of the May 1968 events, President de Gaulle authorized his return to France and immunity from prosecution.