FRANCE APRES DE GAULLE BLOSSOMING CHESTNUTS CAST THEIR SHADE OVER THE BOOKSTALLS 
ALONG THE SEINE, TRAFFIC WHEELED INSANELY AROUND THE PLACE DE L'ETOILE, 
AND THE FIRST TOURISTS WITH THEIR CAMERAS SANK CONTENTEDLY LAST WEEK 
INTO CHAIRS AT SIDEWALK CAFES . BUT TO FRENCH POLITICIANS, THE 
COMING OF SPRING MEANT REVIVAL OF THAT HEADY ATMOSPHERE THEY CALL 
" APRES DE GAULLE . " WITH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS JUST TWO 
YEARS AWAY, IT HAS SIMULTANEOUSLY OCCURRED TO MANY PUNDITS THAT DE 
GAULLE MAY BECOME ILL, DIE, BE ASSASSINATED, OR JUST DECIDE NOT 
TO RUN . THE INFECTIOUS PRESIDENTIAL FEVER HAS SPREAD TO ALL 
PARTIES . ON THE NON-GAULLIST SIDE, POSSIBLE CANDIDATES RANGE FROM ANTOINE 
PINAY (AT 71, HE MAY BE TOO OLD) TO THE LAST 
PREMIER OF THE FOURTH REPUBLIC, PIERRE PFLIMLIN, TO THE GLIB RADICAL 
SPOKESMAN, MAURICE FAURE . THE SOCIALISTS HAVE CONTENDERS IN VETERAN GUY 
MOLLET AND THE SHREWD, AFFABLE MAYOR OF MARSEILLE, GASTON DEFFERRE . 
MOST PROMINENT ON THE GAULLIST SIDE ARE PREMIER GEORGES POMPIDOU, THE 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY'S TENNIS-PLAYING PRESIDENT JACQUES CHABAN-DELMAS AND EX-PREMIER MICHEL DEBRE . 
RECENTLY ELECTED AS A DEPUTY FROM REUNION ISLAND, DEBRE CANNILY REFUSED 
THE CONFINING JOB OF FACTION LEADER OF THE GAULLISTS IN ORDER 
TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF AS MR . FIXIT FOR PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE 
COUNTRY . UNDER THE SPUR OF DEBRE'S COMPETITION, POMPIDOU IS NOW 
FUNCTIONING MORE LIKE A POLITICIAN AND LESS LIKE A BANKER TURNED 
STATESMAN . IN NATIONWIDE BROADCASTS, HE HAS PROVED TO BE A 
RELAXED, AVUNCULAR PERFORMER AND HAS DISPLAYED WIT AS WELL AS COMPETENCE 
IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY . INTO THIS LIST OF HOPEFULS, THE 
INTELLECTUAL, LEFT-WING L'EXPRESS LAST WEEK INTRODUCED A WEIRDLY DIFFERENT SUGGESTION . 
IT CLAIMED THAT DE GAULLE'S OWN CHOICE AS HIS SUCCESSOR IS 
NONE OTHER THAN HENRI D'ORLEANS, 54, COMTE DE PARIS, DESCENDANT OF 
KING HENRI IV, AND PRETENDER TO THE THRONE OF FRANCE . 
L'EXPRESS POINTED TO THE WARM PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN THE COUNT AND 
DE GAULLE, RECALLED THAT LE GRAND CHARLES'S EARLIEST POLITICAL SYMPATHIES WERE 
MONARCHIST, AND NOTED THAT THE COUNT'S GAULLIST LEANINGS HAD MADE HIM 
A TARGET OF A BOMBING BY SECRET ARMY TERRORISTS . L'EXPRESS 
CONCLUDED : " THIS VISION IS ONE WHICH HAUNTS DE GAULLE'S 
MEDITATIONS, AND IT WOULD RECONCILE TWO HERETOFORE ANTAGONISTIC PRINCIPLES MONARCHY AND 
REPUBLIC IN A SINGLE LEGITIMACY, THAT OF ROYAL DESCENT AND UNIVERSAL 
SUFFRAGE . / ONLY TROUBLE WITH THIS VISION IS THAT L'EXPRESS 
HATES DE GAULLE AND WOULD BE THE LAST PAPER TO KNOW 
WHAT HE IS THINKING . PARIS-PRESSE CHARACTERIZED THE STORY AS LITTLE 
MORE THAN " A GOOD QUESTION TO TOSS OUT TO GET 
A DINNER CONVERSATION GOING . / 