Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry (October 19, 1927 – March 11, 1963) was a French military air weaponry engineer, and the ringleader of attempts to assassinate President of France Charles de Gaulle.

Bastien-Thiry was born to a family of military officers in Lunéville. He attended the École polytechnique, followed by the École nationale supérieure de l'Aéronautique before going into the French Air Force where he specialized in the design of air-to-air missiles. In 1957 he was promoted to become principal air military engineer. He was married with three daughters.

Having been a strong supporter of French Algeria throughout the Algerian war of independence, and coming from a military background, Bastien-Thiry joined the Organisation de l'armée secrète (OAS) which organised vigilantes to oppose the independence movement. He perceived the separation from Algeria as "even graver than that with Alsace-Lorraine". Bastien-Thiry also deplored that the French government should discuss with the FLN, which it considered to be a terrorist movement not representative of the Algerian population.

De Gaulle held a referendum on independence in Algeria on July 1, 1962 which went overwhelmingly in favour, and then granted its independence. Bastien-Thiry considered this made de Gaulle's removal from power absolutely necessary, and having read Thomas Aquinas concluded that regicide was legitimate in certain circumstances. He joined together with other sympathisers to organize an assassination. De Gaulle's light security made it easy and the group set themselves up in the Paris suburb of Petit-Clamart on August 22, 1962. De Gaulle's car was raked with machine gun fire but de Gaulle managed to escape without injury when he ducked just in time.

Bastien-Thiry was arrested when he came back from a scientific mission in the United Kingdom, and brought to trial before a military tribunal presided over by General Roger Gardet from January 28 to March 4, 1963. He was defended by attorney Jacques Isorni . He was convicted and sentenced to death. De Gaulle, as President, had the power of clemency and pardoned those who fired the shots, but refused to pardon Bastien-Thiry despite his claims to have suffered clinical depression at the time of organising the assassination. Bastien-Thiry was shot by firing squad at Fresnes Prison.

Related links

• Declaration of colonel Bastien-Thiry before the military court that sentenced him to death (in French)