Intra-Alliance Conflict Related to Nuclear Weapons Politics: The French Case (1957–63)

Abstract

Nuclear weapons policy, while not the only divisive factor within the Atlantic alliance, was an obvious source of dissension, particularly in the case of the French.¹ Firstly, the fact that nuclear weapons were the prerogative of the Americans and, to a lesser extent, the British, intensified the other allies’ feelings of dependence and inequality. Having succeeded in their bid for acceptance within the Standing Group, the French had therefore believed that they would be in a position to participate in the strategic decision-making of the alliance.