Robert Léon

"An inter-ministerial committee meets at the Hôtel Matignon. The Prime Minister and the relevant ministers have delegated members of their cabinet. Among them are Hélène Ploix, Robert Léon for Finance, Patrice Léopold for Industry, and Alain Boublil for the Élysée. The discussion will not be long. The instruction has been given to choose the solution that avoids any new legal challenge. Therefore, the Arnault plan easily wins because it allows to immediately put an end to a case that has been dragging on for three and a half years, while the appointment of Bidermann would be equivalent to starting over: the agreements between the Willot and the boss of Férinel would have to be cancelled. At 10 pm, Hélène Ploix calls the interested parties and promises them an answer by 10 am the next day."

"Thanks to Crédit Lyonnais' devotion, which lent the money and was now burdened with Christian Dior shares, Arnault found 3.3 billion francs from others. However, he needed to contribute 2 billion of his own to complete the capital increase while retaining 58% of Dior. Where would he find these funds? Robert Léon suggested selling one of his distribution companies, either Conforama or Le Bon Marché. However, such a possibility did not fit into Arnault's strategy, as he disliked selling assets. Furthermore, these two companies were listed on the stock exchange, providing the opportunity to raise capital."

"It was a decision that Bernard Arnault made alone, despite Robert Léon's reservations. Every Saturday morning, the two men would discuss strategy, deals, and financial arrangements over a cup of coffee that Bernard Arnault hadn't paid for in seven years, as he often forgot his wallet, much like François Mitterrand and many other powerful men."

"A few hours later, Anthony Tennant and his Lazard Brothers20 and Indosuez bankers meet with the Dior president and his loyalists, Robert Léon and Pierre Godé."