Organisation de l'Armée Secrète

The OAS was created in response to the referendums on self-determination for Algeria. There was a rising in January 1960 by the colons and pied noirs and again in April 1961 (The General's Putsch). When they were both swiftly suppressed and many of the leades imprisoned the OAS was created. By terrorist acts and assassinations (Mouloud Feraoun) they attempted to alter the events, along with the terrorist Front de Libération Nationale[?] (FLN) trying to encourage the change. The OAS even attempted to assassinate Charles de Gaulle in 1962.

The main hope of the OAS was to provoke the FLN into action after a cease-fire was agreed between the acceptence of the Evian Accords in March and the referendum of June 1962, over 100 bombs a day were detonated by the OAS in March. Despite the carnage the FLN remained resolute and on June 17, 1962 the OAS agreed to the ceasefire. In April 1962 its leader, Raoul Salan[?] was captured. The group was effectively eliminated by 1963. However the group was granted an amnesty for its actions and few members were properly tried or imprisoned.

The OAS is the villain the the Frederick Forsyth[?]'s fictional novel, The Day of the Jackal.