In Control

Abstract

My contract started January 1, 1971, which was a Friday. At the time, New Year was not a public holiday in England, and we had no idea it was a holiday in Switzerland, so to our surprise, CERN was deserted except for security guards when we showed up to collect the keys to our furnished apartment. CERN occupies a large site straddling the Swiss-French border, a couple of kilometres from the dormitory suburb of Meyrin. In those days, almost everyone arriving at CERN ended up living in Meyrin; our apartment was on Rue Gilbert. My status was fonctionnaire international (international civil servant), outside the normal work permit system for foreigners. That had its advantages, principally that my salary was tax-free, but it also had the disadvantage that my wife was not allowed to work without struggling for a permit. In fact, we ‘had’ to get married – not for the usual reason, but because otherwise she couldn’t have come with me at all. A few years afterwards, a colleague flew with his girlfriend from Norway to Las Vegas to get married on the spot prior to arriving at CERN. Even later, when it became easier for CERN staff to live in nearby France, it was sufficient to register a partner as an official concubine at the local mairie.