When the French were preparing for their legislative elections in spring ‘78 … when it looked like the Left could sneak past the Right and take over … Jacques Chirac set up offices in the only real skyscraper in Paris, the Tour Montparnasse.

He needed a lot of room, and he wanted everything new and modern. Women sat around tables opening letters, receipting contributions, stuffing printed speeches into envelopes. Men in grey suits moved from office to office at a pace that made one think there was something very urgent happening. Phones rang constantly. The walls were covered with photos and posters of Jacques Chirac. Pencil holders on desks were plastic cups with Chirac's picture. His name and face were everywhere. The scene was reminiscent of Richard Nixon's campaign headquarters in 1968. The only difference was that Nixon had the presidency at stake then and Chirac didn't… at least he wouldn't say he did.