4 December 1961: “The Inability of the Alliance to Agree”

In December of 1961, the Berlin issue was still dominating NATO discussion, and Léger was worried that the upcoming ministerial meeting would “reveal the inability of the Alliance to agree.” The “Berlin problem” has three issues which relate to NATO planning: military preparedness, negotiations, and economic countermeasures. At this point, it is the French stalling the process due to de Gaulle’s “attitude” towards negotiation. While discussing the conflict within the Council, Léger makes it clear that presenting the Alliance as a united front is of utmost importance.