The American “Occupation”

Abstract

French public opinion about the American presence waxed and waned, sometimes driven by events. Much of the French disquiet proved to be fleeting and overestimated; at other times, it was the product of unrealistic expectations. Treating France as a second-rate power by leaving de Gaulle out of the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences offended many French. Suspicions about the intentions of French Communists united many French—including de Gaulle—with the Americans. Cultural differences between the two nations aggravated unavoidable clashes of interests. Still, the Americans’ maladroit handling of sensitive situations sometimes unnecessarily irritated their French hosts.