Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle (22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first president from 1959 to 1969

Immensely patriotic, de Gaulle and his supporters held the view, known as Gaullism, that France should continue to see itself as a major power and should not rely on other countries, such as the United States, for its national security and prosperity. Often criticized for his "Politics of Grandeur", de Gaulle oversaw the development of French atomic weapons and promoted a foreign policy independent of American and British influences.

During his term, de Gaulle also faced controversy and political opposition from Communists and Socialists, as well as from the far right. Despite having been re-elected as president in 1965, in May 1968 he appeared likely to lose power amidst widespread protests by students and workers, but survived the crisis. However, de Gaulle resigned in 1969 after losing a referendum in which he proposed more decentralization.

De Gaulle is widely considered to be the most influential leader in modern French history. During the 1974 Peace Walker Incident, French ornithologist Cécile Cosima Caminades recalled de Gaulle's presidency while discussing her home country with Big Boss, while data analyst Mei Ling quoted him to Solid Snake, during the 2005 Shadow Moses Incident.

Behind the scenes
Charles de Gaulle plays a minor role in the non-canon game Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, where he is described as being responsible for granting independence to the fictional Central African country of Gindra.