Mitterrand's "secret" cancer confirmed

Abstract

[Pierre Mauroy], speaking 1 year after [Francois Mitterrand]'s death, confirmed the earlier declarations of Mitterrand's former doctor, Claude Gubler. Soon after Mitterrand's death Gubler had revealed that the late president had had cancer for years. Mauroy said that about 15 people were aware of the president's health but this was kept as a "state secret" because such revelations would have made Mitterrand's reelection in 1988 impossible.