On 30 October 1945, on the initiative of General de Gaulle, the French Government adopts Decree No 45-2563 which provides for the creation of a French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA).

‘French dawn. The Gaullist cockerel burps.’ In November 1959, Opland, Dutch cartoonist, illustrates General de Gaulle’s wish to acquire atomic weapons for France.

On 11 April 1961, during a press conference held at the Élysée Palace in Paris, French President Charles de Gaulle reaffirms France’s determination to continue nuclear tests in the Sahara Desert.

On 8 December 1960, the first military programme act is passed. It provides for the creation and financing of the French nuclear strike force.

Table showing nuclear expenditure by the six Member States of the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC) between 1962 and 1964.

On 18 October 1966, Italy’s Eduardo Battaglia, Vice-President of the European Parliament, notes the failure of Euratom and its inability to rise above the national ambitions of the Member States.