ABSTRACT
On learning that President de Gaulle planned a referendum on universal suffrage, Le Pen realized the impact it would have on French politics and the new importance that presidential elections would assume in national politics. He selected Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour to incarnate French Algeria. In 1964, Le Pen and Tixier-Vignancour established the "TV Committee", which included on its executive committee a cross section of the far right, from die-hard supporters of French Algeria to longtime members of the extreme and neofascist right. The extreme right was absolutely confounded by the 1968 revolt. Uncharacteristically, President de Gaulle was unsure how to handle the May 1968 revolt. He called for elections in June 1968. To rally the forces of the extreme right, leaders from Ordre Nouveau and other extreme right organizations met on October 5, 1972, to establish the National Front (NF). In 1972, Le Pen was elected president of the NF.
