Feb. 15, 1963 - Swift, secret arrests early today broke up a plot to assassinate President de Gaulle of France. At least three army officers and two women were seized in the raids. France’s leader apparently was to have been shot in the courtyard of Ecole Militaire, the nation’s famous military school, when he visited it this morning. A high-caliber rifle fitted with a telescopic sight was discovered in the apartment of one of those arrested, Captain Robert Poinard (pictured) of the Naval artillery, who was named as the ringleader of the plot. Several other weapons besides the rifle were found in his apartment. The women arrested were Mme. Rousselot de Lifiac, instructor in English at Ecole Militaire, and Mme. Poinard, wife of the captain. The plot to kill the President was extremely simple. An assassin was to station himself in a window overlooking the cobblestone courtyard where General de Gaulle was to inspect the students. President de Gaulle, who is tall and broad, would have been an easy target. The arrests were made a few hours before he visited the school.
