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The Origins of
NATO
THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION

Office of the Historian
U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Public Affairs

Released April 1999
Publication Number 10617

NATO
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Contents    [Click here for a continuous html copy]

 

Foreword
There is much to celebrate in the history of NATO's first half-century. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been the most successful alliance of all time. It has deterred aggression and defended its borders, maintained its unity and safeguarded democracy. It has allowed a generation to grow up in prosperity and peace. Its success can be measured not in battles won, but in lives saved, liberty preserved, and hope shared with freedom-loving peoples everywhere.

NATO was forged in the aftermath of Holocaust and war, by the survivors of war, to prevent war. NATO brought together nations that shared a community of interests and a commitment to democratic values. America's special goal in this effort was to draw the nations of Europe together to help guard against a resurgence of the conflict that had twice in 30 years drawn our troops across the Atlantic and plunged them into war.

But, as this short history reminds us, NATO's success was by no means foreordained. Its negotiation and adoption alone required the best efforts of diplomats, militaries and legislators in each member nation. Its endurance depended--and still depends--on the dedication of each ally to the principles upon which it was founded. Readers of these pages will be struck by the important role that congressional leaders of both parties played in supporting NATO's creation and influencing its shape. In recent years, we have seen a reprise of that role, as a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives has contributed counsel and strong public backing to the effort to enlarge NATO and prepare it for new missions.

Thus looking backward to NATO's history inspires us to look forward with confidence. Since NATO was formed, our world has been transformed. But the destinies of Europe and North America remain inseparable. As President Clinton welcomes the leaders of our 18 NATO allies and 25 partner nations to NATO's Washington Summit, we will be looking ahead to NATO's next 50 years.

The NATO Summit will issue a blueprint for the future in the form of a new Strategic Concept for the Alliance. That document will recognize that, while our essential goals remain unchanged, the risks we face have been transformed by the end of the Cold War and the steady advance of technology.

In Washington, our leaders will agree on the design of an Alliance that is strengthened by new members; an Alliance that is more flexible; an Alliance committed to collective defense and capable of meeting a wide range of threats to its common interests; and an Alliance that works in partnership with other nations and organizations to advance security, prosperity, and democracy in and for the entire Euro-Atlantic region.

Our Alliance is and must remain a Euro-Atlantic institution that acts by consensus. But we must be prepared to prevent, deter, and respond to the full spectrum of threats to Alliance interests and values.

And when we respond, it only makes sense to use the unified military structure and cooperative habits we have developed over the past 50 years. This approach should not be controversial. We've been practicing it successfully in Bosnia since 1995.

We are also taking steps to ensure that NATO's military forces are designed, equipped, and prepared for 21st century missions. It is with this in mind, as well, that we support the development within NATO of a European Security and Defense Identity--by which we mean an increased capability for Europeans, acting together, to assume a greater share of our common responsibilities. And we expect the Summit to produce an initiative that responds to the grave threat posed by weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

This will also be the first Summit to include NATO's three newest members--the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. As the reader of this history will learn, the United States has from the beginning sought to open NATO to all who would, and could, share in its goals and take on its duties. These three nations have proven their ability to meet Alliance responsibilities, uphold Alliance values, and defend Alliance interests.

This is NATO's first enlargement since the Cold War's end, but, as our leaders will reconfirm in Washington, it will not be NATO's last. The door of the Alliance remains open, and we will continue to help prepare aspiring members to meet NATO's high standards.

From the beginning, NATO has been part of an interlocking set of Euro-Atlantic institutions. Today, NATO is a central pillar of a community that is increasingly secure, prosperous, and democratic. It is more important than ever that the Alliance work with other countries and institutions to extend stability throughout this broader region. We seek to erase, and not replace, the lines that divided Europe.

For that reason, the Alliance has forged the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace to develop close and cooperative relationships with 25 other nations.

In collaboration with regional institutions, we are encouraging the resolution of old antagonisms, promoting tolerance, and ensuring the protection of minority rights. Thus NATO can do its part to help realize, for the first time in history, the dream of a Europe whole and free.

Although a great many things have changed since April 1949, that dream which motivated our predecessors is alive--and well. Our Alliance still is bound together by a community of interests. Our strength still is a source of strength to those everywhere who labor for freedom and peace. Our power still shields those who love the law and still threatens none except those who would threaten others with aggression and harm.

Our Alliance has endured because the principles it defends are timeless and because they reflect the deepest aspirations of the human spirit.

It is our mission now, working across the Atlantic, to carry on the best traditions of the past 50 years and prepare NATO to defend our principles and values in the century ahead. Encouraged by the example of those who came before us, we will dedicate our best efforts to that end.

Madeleine Albright

 

Preface
This study was prepared in response to a request from the National Security Council. It is intended to provide essential historical background for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949. The basis of the study was the official historical record of American foreign policy published in the Department of State's historical documentary series Foreign Relations of the United States. Relevant historical publications prepared by the Historical Office of the Secretary of Defense and the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also were consulted along with memoirs, authoritative biographies, and historical studies by academic experts. A chronology has been included to afford readers a convenient context and timeline to understand the negotiations and consultations of 1948 and 1949.

This study seeks to remind readers of some essential milestones in the conception, negotiation, and conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty. No new research has been undertaken, and a thorough and detailed account of the negotiations or evaluation of the context, motives of participants, or consequences of the events of 1948 and 1949 for an Atlantic alliance has not been attempted. The choice of scholarly works cited in the study is not intended to represent an official judgment as to their special merit as against any other of the many books and articles written about the North Atlantic Treaty or bearing upon the events leading up to its signing. This is an attempt at assembling some basic facts to help give some greater meaning to the commemoration of this 50th anniversary. As is the case in the writing of most history, more time, more research, and more advice would result in a perhaps different and certainly more complete review of these memorable events.

James E. Miller of the Office of the Historian did the original research and writing from which this study emerged. Rita M. Baker edited the study and prepared the chronology.

William Slany
The Historian
Department of State

 

Chronology of Agreements, Declarations, and Negotiations

V-E Day May 8, 1945 End of the war in Europe
Moscow Council of Foreign Ministers and Secretary of State Marshall's report March-April 1947 Marshall warned about the slow recovery of Europe and Western differences with the U.S.S.R.
President Truman's speech March 12, 1947 Proposed military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey
Greek-Turkish aid approved by U.S Congress May 22, 1947 Congressional approval of military and economic assistance to Greece and Turkey
Secretary Marshall's address June 5, 1947 Proposed for Marshall Plan; invitation to the European nations to submit plans for a European recovery effort
Conference of the Committee of European Economic Cooperation, Paris June 27-July 1, 1947 Produced European recovery program, proposed courses of action, and estimated costs; Soviet Premier Stalin rejected the Marshall Plan for the U.S.S.R. and Eastern Europe
National Security Act approved by U.S. Congress July 26, 1947 Provided for a comprehensive program for the future security of the U.S. and to coordinate and integrate U.S. policies and procedures to that end
Inter-American Treaty for Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) September 2, 1947 Established mutual defense pact among the American Republics, including the U.S.
Creation of Communist Information Bureau (Cominform) October 5, 1947 Created to coordinate activity of European communist parties; ensured Soviet control of national communist parties
London Council of Foreign Ministers December 1947 Confirmed East-West deadlock
Communist coup in Czechoslovakia February 1948 Communist government took over on June 7
Brussels Treaty March 17, 1948 Created Western European Union (Brussels Pact); members promised to come to each other's aid in case of attack
President Truman's address March 17, 1948 Expressed support for the Western European Union
Pentagon Talks March 23-April 1, 1948 Secret U.S.-British-Canadian military staff talks
Economic Cooperation Act approved by U.S. Congress April 3, 1948
  • Legislative implementation of the European Recovery Program (Marshall Plan) for the economic recovery of Europe
  • $4 billion appropriated for the first year
NSC 9, "Position of the United States With Respect to Support for the Western Union and Other Related Free Countries" April 13, 1948 Expressed U.S. support for but not membership in the Brussels Pact, pledged to explore larger mutual defense agreement based on Article 51 of the UN Charter
Establishment of the Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) April 16, 1948 Agreement among 16 non-communist European nations to work together in using Marshall Plan aid
Congress of Europe Meeting, The Hague May 7, 1948 Discussed plans for establishing a European political union
NSC 9/2, "Position of the United States With Respect to Support for the Western Union and Other Related Free Countries" May 11, 1948 Emphasized the need for Senate consultation on possible alliance and called for exploratory diplomatic and military talks with European nations; called on West European nations to improve defense efforts
Creation of the State of Israel May 14, 1948 The U.S. and U.S.S.R. recognized Israel on May 16
Western agreements on Germany June 7, 1948 Communique announced U.S.-British-Benelux agreement on:
  • International control of the Ruhr,
  • German representation in the Marshall Plan,
  • Integration of the Western zones of Germany,
  • Drafting a federal constitution for Germany
    • ,
    Vandenberg Resolution June 11, 1948 Advised the President to seek U.S. and free world security through support of mutual defense arrangements that operated within the UN Charter but outside the UN Security Council
    Berlin blockade and airlift June 24, 1948- May 11, 1949 Soviet blockage of access to Berlin and subsequent U.S. supply by air of the city
    NSC 9/3, "Position of the United States With Respect to Support for the Western Union and Other Related Free Countries" June 28, 1948 NSC authorization to seek means, within the terms of the Vandenberg Resolution, to provide military support to the free nations of Western Europe
    NSC 14/1, "Position of the United States With Respect to Providing Military Assistance to nations of the Non-Soviet World" July 1, 1948 Called for legislation to permit military assistance to selected non-communist nations in Europe in order to strengthen their military capabilities to resist communist expansion
    House Un-American Activities Committee hearings July 30, 1948 Whittaker Chambers confessed to being a communist; identified former State Department official Alger Hiss as a Communist Party agent
    Washington Exploratory Talks July-September 1948 Negotiations over the basic scope and structure of the North Atlantic alliance
    Washington Paper September 9, 1948 Paper submitted to participating governments at the Exploratory Talks summing up the discussions and consensus reached on the membership of the alliance
    Re-election of President Truman November 2, 1948 Surprise victory in the U.S. national elections
    Ambassadorial Working Group meeting December 10-24, 1948 Prepared draft of the North Atlantic Treaty
    Dean Acheson entry on duty as Secretary of State January 21, 1949 Secretary of State Marshall resigned in December 1948
    North Atlantic Treaty April 4, 1949 Signed by 12 nations; created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for collective defense
    Creation of the Federal Republic of Germany May 8, 1949 Germany adopted the Basic Laws of the Federal Republic
    U.S. Senate approval of the North Atlantic Treaty July 21, 1949 On being assured that the treaty preserved congressional prerogatives
    Truman request to Congress July 21, 1949 Requested $1.45 billion for military assistance to Europe
    Entry into force of the North Atlantic Treaty August 24, 1949 Canada was the first to ratify (May 3) and Italy the last (August 24)
    First North Atlantic Council session September 17, 1949 Held in Washington and chaired by Secretary Acheson
    White House announcement September 23, 1949 Soviet detonation of an atomic bomb
    Mutual Defense Assistance Act signed by President Truman October 6, 1949 Authorized $1.165 billion in military assistance to NATO countries
    UN General Assembly adoption of "Essentials of Peace" Resolution December 1, 1949 U.S.-British-sponsored resolution affirming the principles of the UN Charter and requesting members to cooperate to ease world tensions; submitted in response to a Soviet-sponsored resolution against the North Atlantic Treaty alliance
    North Korean invasion of South Korea June 25, 1950 Beginning of the Korean conflict
    UN General Assembly adoption of "Uniting for Peace" Resolution November 3, 1950 Gave the General Assembly the right to recommend collective security measures if the use of the veto in the Security Council prevented UN action
    Conference of NATO Foreign Ministers, Brussels December 18, 1950 Approved plans for the defense of Western Europe, including U.S. use of nuclear weapons if necessary to defend NATO nations
    General Eisenhower appointment as Supreme Commander of North Atlantic Soviet Forces December 19, 1950 Appointed by NATO Foreign Ministers with responsibility to create a force capable of repulsing an armed attack
    Senate approval of U.S. troops for NATO April 4, 1951 Approved deployment of four divisions of the U.S. Army to Europe but requested that the President consult with Congress before sending additional troops
    U.S.-British-French Agreement September 10, 1951 Agreed to replace the West German occupation statute and use West German troops in a European army
    Greek and Turkish membership in NATO September 20, 1951 Approved at the NATO Council meeting in Ottawa; NATO formal admission took place on February 18, 1952
    End of U.S. Marshall Plan aid December 31, 1951 Mutual Security Agency replaced the OEEC; $7.2 billion provided under the Mutual Security Program for Economic, Military, and Technical Aid to Europe
    Peace Conventions signed at Bonn May 26, 1952 End of Allied (U.S., Britain, France) occupation of Germany
    Creation of European Defense Community May 27, 1952 Intended to unify West European defense plans and bind West Germany to European defense; included a NATO protocol with West Germany to extend NATO guarantees to that nation and a U.S. and British declaration that agreed to regard a threat to the EDC as a threat to their security; rejected by France in August 1954
    U.S. Senate ratification of NATO protocol July 1, 1952 Ratified NATO protocol with West Germany extending NATO guarantees
    West German membership in NATO May 5, 1955 Federal Republic of Germany became the 15th member pursuant to gaining sovereign status
    Formation of the Warsaw Pact May 14, 1955 Soviet response to West German troops in NATO; signed by eight East European nations

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