Cold War France: NATO Country Trends

Figure 1.--The original NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) was located in Rocquencourt, near Paris. Here former-President isenhower is greeted by American families working with SHAPE in Paris. He is shaking hands who are enthusiastically greeting him. The press caption read, "Ike in Paris: General Eisenhower chatting with the children if the SHAPE personnel visiting SHAPE, Paris, this morning." The photograph is dated August 8, 1962. Eisenhower of cource was the commander of the Supreme Headquaters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) that landed in Normandy on D-Day and liberted France.

France was one of the founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which became the backbone of the Westrn response to Soviet aggression. The Soviet Union on Stalin's orders had seized control of countrie throughout Eastern and Central Europe, including democratic Czecoslovakia (1948). NATO meant that unlike after World War I, America would not withdraw from Europe. And only American power could stop Stalin and the Red Army. NATO structured the defense of Western Europe primarily around the West German and French armis and military instalations in those two countrie. This was backed up with the American nuclear umbrella. France was particularly important because West Germany had a long border with the Soviet dominated Warsaw Pact. And as a result, West Germany and the military instalations there would feel the full brunt of a Soviet invasion. France as a rear area would provide the backup for any NATO miliary response. A crisis in Algeria led to Charles De Gaulle's return to power (May 1958). He was clearly disturbed, despite NATO's success, with the internal dynamicswith in NATO. In particular he resented the important role the United States played in NATO and the often-noted special American relationship with Britain. We suspect that his World War II experiences, especially the treatment by President Roosevelt played a role in his thinking. Desatisfaction with NATO was not entirely DeGualle's doing, but he was more determined to take action than other French leaders. Within month of returning to power, De Gualle fired off a memorandum to President Eisenhower and Prime Minister Macmillan (September 1958). In it he argued for a tripartite directorate to direct NATO that would put France on an equal footing with the United States and Britain. Disatisfied with the responses he received, President DeGualle began to construct an independent French defence force. DeGuall was focused on a possibe Soviet invasion and wanted option of reaching a possible separate peace rather than being drawn into a masive NATO-Warsaw Pact war. This of course cut at the heart of the whole idea of NATO. DeGualle never withdrew France from NATO, but began separting the French military command structure. This was a done in a number of derscrete steps. His first step was to withdrew its Mediterranean Fleet from NATO command (February 1959). The majpr steps occurred during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations. President Kennedy's Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France attending a NATO meeting. Preident DeGaulle told him that he wanted all U.S. military out of France as soon as possible. Rusk famously responded "Does that include those who are buried here?"

Soviet Aggression

French Communist Party

Foundation

France was one of the founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) which became the backbone of the Westrn response to Soviet aggression. The Soviet Union on Stalin's orders had seized control of countrie throughout Eastern and Central Europe, including democratic Czecoslovakia (1948).

American Role

NATO meant that unlike after World War I, America would not withdraw from Europe. President Roosevelt had anticipated a withdrawl. And so did Stalin. Ironically it was his aggresive policies that caused the Americans to stay. And only American power could stop Stalin and the Red Army.

Command Structure

NATO structured the defense of Western Europe primarily around the West German and French armies -- the two major Western continental armies. Important military instalations were constructed in those two countries. in those two countries. This was backed up with a small American contingent, but more importantly the American nuclear umbrella.

Importance of France

France ws particularly important because West Germany had a long bofrder with the Soviet dominated Warsaw Pact. And as a result, West Germany and the military instalations there would feel the full brunt of any Soviet invasion. France as the immiate rear area would provide the backup for a miliary response. France essentially provied NATO a defense in depth.

DeGualle

A crisis in Algeria led to Charles De Gaulle's return to power (May 1958). He was clearly disturbed, despite NATO's success, with the internal dynamics within NATO. In particular he resented the important role the United States played in NATO and the often-noted special American relationship with Britain. We suspect that his World War II experiences, especially the treatment by President Roosevelt and Prime-Minister Churchill played a role in his thinking, especially Roosevelt's tretment of him. Churchill was denied any role in the D-Day planning and Roosevelt wanted to prevebt him from gaining control of the provisionl French Government. All of this of course is controversial. Our assessment is that the British had much more to complain about that France. DeGualle's pique seems more of a personal affronts he perceived than French national policy.

France Withdraws from MATO Military Command Strucrure (1966-67

NATO's unit was threated about 20 years after its creation by French president Charles de Gaulle. French disatisfaction with NATO was not entirely DeGualle's doing, but he was more determined to take action than other French leaders. The French were disturbed by the Anglo-American dominance in the military command. Within month of returning to power, De Gualle fired off a memorandum to President Eisenhower and Prime Minister Macmillan (September 1958). In it he argued for a tripartite directorate to direct NATO that would put France on an equal footing with the United States and Britain. Disatisfied with the responses he received, President DeGualle began to construct an independent French defence force. DeGualle was focused on a possibe Soviet invasion and wanted option of reaching a possible separate peace rather than being drawn into a masive NATO-Warsaw Pact war. This of course cut at the heart of the whole idea of NATO. DeGualle never withdrew France from NATO, but began separting the French military command structure. This was a done in a number of derscrete steps. His first step was to withdrew its Mediterranean Fleet from NATO command (February 1959). The major steps occurred during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations (1966). France continued solidarity with the rest of NATO during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), De Gaulle continued to persue an independent defence polocy by removing France's Atlantic and Channel fleets from NATO command. President Kennedy's Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France attending a NATO meeting. Preident DeGaulle told him that he wanted all U.S. military out of France as soon as possible (1967). Rusk famously responded "Does that include those who are buried here?" De Gaulle objected to any automatic commitment through NATO.

Removal to Belgium

The NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) had been located in Rocquencourt, near Paris. NATO moved SHAPE to Casteau, north of Mons, Belgium (October 16, 1967). France remained a member of the alliance, and committed to the defence of Europe from possible Warsaw Pact attack with its own forces stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany throughout the Cold War. A series of secret accords between the United States and France, the Lemnitzer-Ailleret Agreements, provided a mechnism as to how French forces would revert back into NATO's command structure should East-West hostilities break out. [(De) La Grange]

Force de Frappe

The Force de frappe (Strike Force) or Force de dissuasion/deterence is the French term forthe triad of French air-, sea- and land-based nuclear weapons intended to deter a Soviet invasion. DeGulle banned the positioning of foreign (Meaning American) nuclear weapons on French soil. The United States transfered 200 military aircraft out of France and returned control of the air force bases that had operated in France since 1950 to French control(1967). The French Nuclear Force today is the third largest nuclear-weapons force in the world, following the nuclear triads of the Russian Federation and the United States, notably larger than that of Britain. We are not sure how China figures in this today. France deactivated all land-based nuclear missiles (1996).

De Gualle's Military Assessment

De Gualle's policy seems influences by his World Wwar II experinces. There seems to be two primary factors involved besides his World war II experiences, two rather contradictory approached. First, DeGualle was not convinced that in a nuclear show down that America would actually laubch its missles to protect Europe. Second, DeGualle moved to devlop its own relations with the Soviets. Here he was concerned that 'reckless' American policy would draw France into a niclear war.

Sources

(De) La Grange, Arnaud, "La France amorce un "mouvement" vers l’Otan", Le Figaro (September 26, 2007)

Created: 1:33 AM 2/5/2018
Last updated: 1:33 AM 2/5/2018