Abstract
Examines U.S.-France relations and the implications of France's independent military capabilities.
Description
In this episode, host Peter Krogh travels to Paris to talk with Evan Galbraith, the United States Ambassador to France. Despite an historically strong diplomatic relationship, at the time of Galbraith's appointment by President Reagan France was somewhat of an anomaly among the United States' close allies. In 1966 French President Charles de Gaulle had withdrawn France from the military wing of NATO to create a new independent military command. By the time of this interview, France possessed the world's third largest military force. This massive military command, which also included the world's third largest nuclear force, allowed France more independence in its foreign affairs than the other NATO allies, whose defense against the Soviet military threat still relied almost entirely on the American dominated treaty organization. In this interview, Ambassador Galbraith discusses the effects this independent military capability has on U.S.-France relations, the recent election of Francois Mitterrand as the first Socialist President of the French Fifth Republic and his subsequent inclusion of Communists in important government ministries, and the United States' economic, diplomatic, and military commitments to Western Europe.
Location
Europe; Western Europe; France;
