Locked Doors Even Against de Gaulle

“The company is locked down. From all sides. The fear of indiscretion, of “chatter” is constant, omnipresent, obsessive. The workshops and laboratories where the alchemy of the X tire is developed are hermetically protected from any external contact. No visits from anyone: shareholders, customers, suppliers, officials, or even retirees from the company. Michelin is an unbreachable enclave.”

“In Clermont-Ferrand, as everywhere else. In 1975, the British government made it mandatory to inspect fire safety systems in factories. Michelin Tyre Corp Ltd had to comply with the common law. Discussions, phone calls to management. A senior official from Her Majesty’s government came to demand the company open its doors. He was handed a bunch of keys: “If you enter our premises, we will close them immediately. And you will bear the responsibility for the unemployment of twenty thousand people.” A few weeks later, following a compromise, a mission of experts was finally allowed to enter but… only to circulate outside the factories. (The significant amount of fire-fighting equipment they discovered would easily convince them that MTC was not directly concerned by the new law.)”