Maurice Bourges-Maunoury; French Politician

Maurice Bourges-Maunoury, 78, a leader of the French Resistance who became prominent in French politics and served briefly as premier of France. Joining the French army as an artillery lieutenant in 1939, Bourges-Maunoury was captured by the Germans in 1940 and freed a year later. He joined the Resistance and made repeated clandestine trips between France and Britain during World War II. He later won a parliamentary seat and was minister of the public works, finance, interior and defense departments. In 1957 he won a narrow vote to serve as premier of France’s short-lived 22nd government since the war. His brief tenure was troubled by the issue of self-rule for Algiers. On Wednesday in Paris.