Toward the First Encounter

This chapter looks at Franco-American relations during the first four months of the Kennedy presidency. The attention of both men was diverted by major crises during this period, but there was optimism on both sides that the Kennedy-de Gaulle summit in Paris would improve relations after a period of drift under President Eisenhower. This was not to be the case. Early genuine enthusiasm for greater Franco-American dialogue on Kennedy’s part was quickly tempered by de Gaulle’s total disagreement with the American president’s plan to reconstitute the chaotic UN peacekeeping operation in post-independence Congo. Nevertheless, American policy-makers close to Kennedy continued to emphasize during this period that there were plenty of potential areas for Franco-American agreement that outweighed areas of divergence. While the youthful Kennedy sought to break from the past and try new Cold War approaches with the emerging Third World, de Gaulle’s conceptions of international diplomacy harkened back to the long era of European international supremacy when French norms were accepted in other advanced countries. This chapter also rounds out de Gaulle’s strategic vision and his desire to establish a more open dialogue between Britain, France, and the United States, the three biggest military powers within NATO.