Thus, armed with this vast influence, in October 1957 Bourguiba tried—once more in conjunction with King Mohammed V, their joint efforts of the previous autumn having been blighted by the hijacking of Ben Bella—to force France and the F.L.N. into negotiations. Already, at the time of the March independence celebrations in Tunis, Bourguiba had been mooting the idea of a Maghreb confederation associated with France, in which Algeria would be a self-governing and equal member; which, could it have proved workable, would have offered a generous and far-sighted solution. But it was sharply rejected by both parties. Now Bourguiba and King Mohammed returned to the theme, but this time offering themselves as mediating agents under the umbrella of the United Nations. The beleaguered Premier Gaillard replied with a brusque turn-down, repeating the formula of each of his Fourth Republic predecessors since Mendès-France: “Whatever the terms and the periphrasis, we shall never accept Algerian independence.” Bourguiba responded by requesting to purchase arms from the United States and Britain, and then, on 8 February 1958, an incident took place that, in the most literal sense, blew sky-high all Bourguiba’s latest hopes of a compromise peace.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 776