France and NATO
France and NATO
France and NATO
TexteRelations between France and NATO
Cartoon by Ganf on the role of France and the United Kingdom in NATO (20 February 1958)
Image‘The NATO circus — A dangerous act’. In 1958, the Soviet satirical weekly magazine Krokodil deplores the submissive attitude of the United Kingdom (depicted as a lion, the symbol on the royal coat of arms) and France (shown as a rooster) in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which is portrayed as a US soldier. Under the eye of their American trainer, the two animals juggle with nuclear weapons, causing panic among the crowd. Soviet cartoonist Ganf also highlights the nuclear threat represented by the Atlantic Alliance and its allies. While the United Kingdom has had nuclear weapons since 3 October 1952, it is not until 13 February 1960 that France explodes its first atomic bomb.
Letter from General de Gaulle to Harold Macmillan (17 September 1958)
TexteOn 17 September 1958, General de Gaulle sends a letter to Harold Macmillan, British Prime Minister, in which he calls for the French memorandum on the reform of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to be the subject of lengthy discussions between France, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Letter and memorandum from General de Gaulle to General Eisenhower (17 September 1958)
TexteOn 17 September 1958, General de Gaulle sends a memorandum to the US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and to the British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, in which he sets out the need for a reform of the integrated structures of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Cartoon by Opland on the relations between France and NATO (19 December 1959)
Image‘Charles the Avenger. NATO’s new building becomes operational …’ In December 1959, Opland, Dutch cartoonist, sheds light on the tempestuous relations between General de Gaulle and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Charles de Gaulle, Address and messages
TexteOn 5 September 1960, President de Gaulle holds a press conference at the Élysée Palace during which he sets out his views on the reform of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and on the role that France might play in such a reform.
Interview granted by Maurice Couve de Murville: excerpts on NATO (March 1961)
TexteDuring an interview in March 1961, the French Foreign Minister, Maurice Couve de Murville, outlines France's policy towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Address given by General Norstad to the Atlantic Council of the United States (Washington, 14 January 1963)
TexteIn an address delivered to the US Atlantic Council in Washington on 14 January 1963, US General Lauris Norstad, a former Supreme Allied Commander, refers to the question of authority and control over the nuclear potential within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Cartoon by Behrendt on de Gaulle and NATO (1964)
ImageIn 1964, the cartoonist Behrendt illustrates how ‘Twenty years after’ the Allied landings on the Normandy Beaches, General de Gaulle is calling for the withdrawal of US troops from French soil.
Cartoon by Behrendt on de Gaulle and NATO (1965)
ImageDuring the 1965 ‘NATO appeal’, General de Gaulle clearly underlines the separate role that France expects to play within the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Cartoon by Lang on de Gaulle and NATO (30 April 1965)
Image‘Icarus de Gaulle’. On 30 April 1965, Ernst Maria Lang, German cartoonist, takes an ironic view of the desire for national sovereignty harboured by General de Gaulle who wants to stay away from NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) and ‘fly by himself’.
Press conference held by General de Gaulle (Paris, 21 February 1966)
TexteOn 21 February 1966, General de Gaulle holds a press conference at the Élysée Palace during which he announces France’s withdrawal from the integrated military structure of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Letter from Charles de Gaulle to Lyndon B. Johnson (7 March 1966)
TexteOn 7 March 1966, General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic, sends a letter to the US President, Lyndon B. Johnson, to inform him of France’s decision to resume total control of sovereignty within its national territory and of its intention to withdraw its forces from the integrated command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Aide-mémoire from the French Government (11 March 1966)
TexteOn 11 March 1966, the French Government sends an aide-mémoire to its partners in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in which it announces its decision to withdraw its ground and air forces from the Alliance’s integrated command.
NATO forces in France (1966)
CarteMap showing the location of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) land, sea and air forces in France in 1966.
Interview with René Pleven (1 April 1966)
VidéoOn 10 March 1966, General de Gaulle officially announces his intention to withdraw French troops from NATO integrated military command. René Pleven, former French Defence Minister, former Prime Minister and the inspiration behind the abandoned project for a European Defence Community (EDC), is one of the opponents to this decision and signs the public petition launched as a sign of protest.
Address given by Georges Pompidou to the French National Assembly (13 April 1966)
TexteIn an address to the French National Assembly on 13 April 1966, Georges Pompidou, French Prime Minister, explains the reasons behind the unilateral withdrawal of French troops from the integrated military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Address given by René Pleven to the French National Assembly (14 April 1966)
TexteIn an address to the French National Assembly on 14 April 1966, René Pleven, former French Defence Minister, criticises President de Gaulle’s decision to withdraw French troops from NATO’s integrated military command and indicates the dangers of this unilateral decision for the security of Europe.
Ceremony to mark the departure of American troops (Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 14 March 1967)
ImageOn 14 March 1967, the American General Lyman Lemnitzer, who holds joint command of SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) and the US forces stationed in Europe, presides over the departure of US troops from the Saint-Germain-en-Laye base. At 4 p.m., the French and American flags are lowered before detachments of soldiers from both countries, and a group of US soldiers folds the Stars and Stripes which flew over the base.
SHAPE moves out (Marly-le-Roi, 1967)
VidéoThe announcement on 10 March 1966 that France intends to withdraw from the Atlantic Alliance’s integrated military command results in SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) leaving its base in Marly-le-Roi, Yvelines, where it has been housed since 1951, and transferring to Brussels and Casteau, Belgium, in March 1967.
Official opening of the new Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (Casteau, 31 March 1967)
ImageOn 31 March 1967, the new Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is officially opened in Casteau, near Mons, Belgium.
Signing of the agreement concerning the establishment of SHAPE in Belgium (Brussels, 13 May 1967)
VidéoOn 10 March 1966, General de Gaulle officially announces that France intends to withdraw from the Atlantic Alliance’s integrated military command. Forced to leave its headquarters previously located at Marly-le-Roi, Yvelines, the Alliance transfers its headquarters to Brussels and Casteau, Belgium, pursuant to an agreement signed in Brussels on 13 May 1967 between Pierre Harmel, Belgian Foreign Minister, and the US General Lyman Lemnitzer, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
Reactions
‘Towards military neutrality’ from Le Monde (18 December 1964)
TexteOn 18 December 1964, the French daily newspaper Le Monde considers the likelihood and the implications of French military neutrality vis-à-vis the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
‘De Gaulle and NATO' from the Corriere della Sera (25 February 1966)
TexteOn 25 February 1966, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera considers the causes and possible consequences of a withdrawal of French military forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's command structure.
Note from the German Embassy regarding France’s policy towards NATO. (Paris, 25 February 1966)
TexteOn 25 February 1966, Peter Limbourg, representing the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Paris, sends a note to the German Foreign Ministry in which he outlines France's policy towards the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Reactions
Statement by Gerhard Schröder to the Bundestag (Bonn, 17 March 1966)
TexteIn a statement to the Bundestag on 17 March 1966, Gerhard Schröder, German Foreign Minister, comments on the unilateral decision taken by General de Gaulle to withdraw French forces from the integrated command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and emphasises the importance of the Atlantic Alliance’s European defence system.
‘Fourteen against one’ from Die Zeit
TexteIn March 1966, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit analyses the impact of General de Gaulle’s Atlantic policy on Franco-German relations.
Letter from US President Lyndon B. Johnson to General de Gaulle (22 March 1966)
TexteOn 22 March 1966, the US President, Lyndon B. Johnson, sends a letter to General de Gaulle in which he expresses concern over France’s decision to withdraw from the integrated military structures of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
‘If NATO is deprived of French territory’ from the Süddeutsche Zeitung (14 March 1966)
TexteOn 16 March 1966, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung analyses the financial and military repercussions of the withdrawal of French troops from the integrated military structures of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Response from the U.S. Government to the Aide-mémoire of the French Government (Washington, 12 april 1966)
TexteIn March 1966, France took the unilateral decision to withdraw from NATO integrated command. Having drawn conclusions from this withdrawal, on 12 April 1966, the United States sends a memorandum to the French Government with regard to France’s position within NATO.
Excerpts from the report by WEU Assembly on France and NATO (Paris, June 1966)
TexteIn June 1966, during its 12th ordinary session in Paris, the Assembly of Western European Union (WEU) considers a report submitted by Duncan Sandys, rapporteur for the Committee on issues relating to defence and arms, on the implications of the withdrawal of French troops from the integrated military command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Personal accounts
Charles de Gaulle, Mémoires d'espoir
TexteDans ses Mémoires, le général de Gaulle évoque la politique de désengagement de la France vis-à-vis des structures militaires intégrées de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) et décrit le mémorandum dans lequel la France a plaidé en septembre 1958 pour la création d'un directoire tripartite - États-Unis, Grande-Bretagne et France - pour assumer la direction de l'OTAN.
Charles de Gaulle, Mémoires d'espoir
TexteDu 2 au 4 septembre 1959, le général de Gaulle reçoit dans sa maison de Colombey-les-deux-Églises le président américain Dwight D. Eisenhower et lui expose les préoccupations de la France en ce qui concerne l'usage des armes atomiques et la participation du pays aux structures intégrées de commandement de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN).
Alain Peyrefitte, This was de Gaulle
TexteIn his memoirs, Alain Peyrefitte, former French Information Minister, explains why, already in late 1964, General de Gaulle wanted US troops seconded to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to leave French territory.
Alain Peyrefitte, This was de Gaulle
TexteIn his memoirs, Alain Peyrefitte, former French Information Minister, recalls how General de Gaulle revealed to him the underlying aims of the memorandum which France sent to its allies on 17 September 1958 with a view to establishing a Directorate whereby France, the United Kingdom and the United States would be at the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
Paul-Henri Spaak, Combats inachevés
TexteDans ses Mémoires, Paul-Henri Spaak, secrétaire général de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) entre 1957 et 1961, évoque la portée du mémorandum que la France adresse, le 17 septembre 1958, au président américain Dwight Eisenhower et au Premier ministre britannique Harold Macmillan pour leur proposer la création d'un directoire tripartite à la tête de l'Alliance atlantique.
Konrad Adenauer, Mémoires
TexteDans ses Mémoires, le chancelier allemand Konrad Adenauer rappelle comment, le 30 juillet 1960, le général de Gaulle l'a entretenu de son projet de réforme de l'Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique Nord (OTAN) et de réorganisation institutionnelle des Communautés européennes.