FRANCE L'AFFAIRE ARGOUD A WOMAN CUSTOMER LISTENED IDLY ONE AFTERNOON LAST WEEK 
WHILE A THICKSET, SOMBERLY DRESSED STRANGER USED THE PUBLIC TELEPHONE AT 
LA ESMERALDA CAFE, ACROSS THE SQUARE FROM PARIS' NOTRE-DAME CATHEDRAL . 
" THIS IS THE S.A.O., " HE BARKED . " YES, 
THE S.A.O . WE'RE GIVING YOU ARGOUD . HE BETRAYED US, 
BUNGLED ALL THE JOBS HE WAS SUPPOSED TO ORGANIZE, PARTICULARLY THE 
PETIT-CLAMART AFFAIR . YOU CAN TAKE DELIVERY OF HIM NOW . 
HE'S IN A BLUE TRUCK IN THE ALLEY OPPOSITE NOTRE-DAME . 
" MINUTES AFTER THE MAN HUNG UP AND STRODE OUT, THE 
SQUARE DE L'ARCHEVECHE STARTED FILLING WITH FRENCH POLICE . JUST AS 
THE MAN SAID, A SMALL DELIVERY TRUCK WAS PARKED IN THE 
ALLEY, AND INSIDE IT THE GENDARMES FOUND A GAGGED, TRUSSED, MIDDLEAGED 
MAN . LIFTING THE BLINDFOLD, A COP PEERED AT THE BATTERED, 
BLOODY FACE AND NODDED : " IT LOOKS LIKE ARGOUD . 
" FASCHING FRAWL . EVER SINCE APRIL 1961, EX-COLONEL ANTOINE-CHARLES-LOUIS-MARIE ARGOUD, 
48, HAD BEEN ONE OF THE TERRORIST SECRET ARMY ORGANIZATION'S TOP 
LEADERS . EARLIER, AS A SECTOR COMMANDER IN ALGERIA, HE WAS 
FAMED FOR HIS USE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE TACTICS AGAINST THE REBEL 
F.L.N . AN ARGOUD SPECIALTY : EXHIBITING IN THE STREETS BODIES 
OF EXECUTED MOSLEM PRISONERS AS A WARNING . AFTER LEAVING ALGERIA, 
HE GREW A BEARD AND SHUTTLED ANONYMOUSLY BETWEEN ITALY, GERMANY AND 
SWITZERLAND . ARGOUD HAD ALREADY BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH IN ABSENTIA 
FOR HIS PART IN THE 1961 GENERALS' PUTSCH, AND, AS A 
MEMBER OF THE DIEHARD COUNCIL OF NATIONAL RESISTANCE, IS BELIEVED TO 
HAVE ORDERED THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF DE GAULLE AT PETIT-CLAMART, OUTSIDE 
PARIS, LAST YEAR . SOON AFTER THE PARIS PRESS HEADLINED THE 
STORY OF THE ARREST, L'AFFAIRE ARGOUD WAS TURNED INTO A FIRST-RATE 
INTERNATIONAL WHODUNIT BY THE OWNER OF MUNICH'S HOTEL EDEN WOLFF, WHO 
SAID THAT THE S.A.O . LEADER HAD CHECKED IN THERE THE 
PREVIOUS NIGHT . THREE HOURS AFTER HE HAD REGISTERED, SAID THE 
HOTELMAN, TWO MEN ENTERED THE LOBBY AND SENT A NOTE UP 
TO HIS ROOM . ARGOUD CAME DOWN AND SPOKE TO HIS 
VISITORS, WHO SHOWED HIM SOMETHING . ALL THREE STARTED OUT THE 
DOOR TOGETHER, BUT THEN ARGOUD TRIED TO PULL AWAY . THE 
OTHER TWO GRABBED HIM, HAULED HIM OUT TO THE STREET, KNOCKED 
HIM DOWN, THREW HIM INTO AN AUTO AND DROVE AWAY . 
AT THE HEIGHT OF MUNICH'S RIOTOUS PRE-LENTEN CELEBRATIONS, ANY POLICEMAN MIGHT 
HAVE SHRUGGED IT OFF AS JUST ANOTHER FASCHING BRAWL . LEGENDARY 
BEARDS . AS THEY READ THE HEADLINES, PARISIANS BEGAN TO QUESTION 
THE OFFICIAL VERSION THAT ARGOUD HAD BEEN BETRAYED BY THE S.A.O 
. HOW HAD HE BEEN SMUGGLED FROM GERMANY INTO FRANCE ? 
WAS THE PHONE CALL REALLY FROM AN S.A.O . MAN ? 
COULD PIERRE CHATEAU-JOBERT, THOUGH SUPPOSED TO BE ARGOUD'S RIVAL FOR LEADERSHIP 
OF THE FOUNDERING S.A.O., REALLY HAVE BETRAYED A COMRADE IN THIS 
WAY ? THE NEWSPAPERS PLUNGED GLEEFULLY INTO THE GUESSING GAME : 
ARGOUD, THEY SAID, HAD BEEN CAPTURED BY LES BARBOUZES (THE BEARDED 
ONES), THE LEGENDARY TRIGGERMEN OF THE FRENCH SECRET SERVICES . IT 
WAS SPECULATED THAT THE ESMERALDA PHONE CALL WAS SIMPLY THE GOVERNMENT'S 
WAY OF ESTABLISHING AN ALIBI AFTER ITS AGENTS HAD ILLEGALLY KIDNAPED 
ARGOUD IN GERMANY . ARGOUD'S ATTORNEY POINTEDLY CITED TWO SIMILAR " 
ILLEGAL " KIDNAPINGS : THAT OF ADOLF EICHMANN BY THE ISRAELIS 
AND, EVEN MORE TO THE POINT, THAT OF THE EMIGRE DUKE 
D'ENGHIEN, WHO, SUSPECTED OF PLOTTING AGAINST NAPOLEON, WAS SNATCHED IN GERMANY 
BY FRENCH POLICE AND THEN TRIED AND EXECUTED . WHATEVER THE 
TRUTH OF THE MATTER, PARISIANS AGREED THAT L'AFFAIRE ARGOUD WAS TRULY 
ROCAMBOLESQUE, INCREDIBLE . TO CAP IT, POLICE LAST WEEK ROUNDED UP 
NINE OTHER S.A.O . MEN IN A PARIS APARTMENT, CHARGED THEM 
WITH HAVING PLANNED (THOUGH THEY FAILED EVEN TO ATTEMPT) THE ASSASSINATION 
OF PREMIER GEORGES POMPIDOU LAST YEAR . ARGOUD'S ARREST HAD ANOTHER 
RESULT : IT CAUSED A ONE-DAY ADJOURNMENT IN THE TRIAL OF 
NINE DEFENDANTS (TIME, FEB . 22) ACCUSED OF BEING PART OF 
THE GANG THAT TRIED TO KILL DE GAULLE AT PETIT-CLAMART . 
MEANWHILE, THE GOVERNMENT WILL SEEK TO ESTABLISH THAT ARGOUD WAS A 
MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF NATIONAL RESISTANCE, WHICH ORDERED THE AMBUSH 
AT PETIT-CLAMART, AND THE REST OF FRANCE WILL KEEP GUESSING WHO 
ACCOMPLISHED ARGOUD'S CAPTURE . 