Republican guards are posted at the entrance to the castle of Rambouillet (Yvelines).
On the esplanade are parked Peugeot 403s and Charles de Gaulle's DS, surmounted by small flags in the colors of France.
We are September 3, 1959, in the middle of the Cold War.
The French president is preparing to receive his counterpart, General Dwight D. Eisenhower on an official trip.
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After Paris was called Lutèce, at the Saint-Étienne-du-Mont church, place du Panthéon (which will resume in February 2023), then Le Fabuleux Noël, at the Château de Maintenon (Eure-et-Loir), Charles Mollet, author, director and founder of the production company Polaris, took over the Château de Rambouillet, where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette notably stayed.
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Its mission: to offer a new immersive show.
Secret-défense invites the public to attend the arrival of the presidential delegations and the negotiations between de Gaulle and Eisenhower, to follow the meeting between the two heads of state and even to relive the appeal of June 18, 1940.
“Le Center des monuments nationaux contacted me and first wanted to do a show on François I, who died at the Château de Rambouillet”
, explains Charles Mollet.
And to add:
“But the meeting between General de Gaulle, who has just arrived at the head of the Fifth Republic, and Eisenhower caught my attention.
We are at a key moment.
Khrushchev must go to see Eisenhower in Washington.
France is in the process of developing its nuclear bomb, de Gaulle will announce to Eisenhower that he intends to organize a referendum for the independence of Algeria.
The Russians demand that France withdraw from Berlin.
So many questions that raise questions in the current context.
“Accessible and popular”
As with previous meetings, Polaris uses volunteers.
Six hundred of them take turns to welcome historical re-enactment enthusiasts with great pomp, approximately every ten minutes, from 9 am to 11 pm.
"We sell 1000 tickets a day, we will still give this show in the next four years
," says Charles Mollet, who feared that the period treated would seem too daunting.
He was reassured by the success of the premiere, which took place on June 10.
“The show only lasts an hour and fifteen, people come out amazed.
Several rooms, including the presidential apartments usually closed to the public, are opening their doors for the first time to groups of thirty people.
The visitor has a choice.
He can be a diplomat: he then has the privilege of borrowing a Peugeot from the presidential motorcade.
He can also be an advisor.
He goes on foot to the castle.
We sell 1000 tickets a day, we will still be doing this show in the next four years
Charles Mollet, author, director and founder of the production company Polaris
The price of the ticket, from 17 to 25 euros, depends on the role you play and the time you come.
Admission is free for children under 6 years old.
At the entrance, the participants are assailed by journalists.
"It's very pleasing," says the director.
Six men, including three look-alikes, play the role of General de Gaulle.
“We want the visit to be accessible and popular.
As we go through the story, people discover the counter-intelligence offices and the listening service.
At the end, they are moved and sing the Marseillaise.
On June 18, the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, will in turn be pressed with questions by a horde of reporters.
Secret-défense
, at the Château de Rambouillet (78), weekends, until July 3.
Res.: www.secret-defense.fr
