Interview with Pierre Messmer, 1986

Item Information

Title:
Interview with Pierre Messmer, 1986
Description:
Pierre Messmer was the French Minister of Armies from 1960-1969, and Prime Minister from 1972-1974. Most of the interview is taken up with descriptions of the thinking of President De Gaulle toward NATO and nuclear weapons. His basic point is that De Gaulle opposed a NATO integrated military command and pressed for a French nuclear capability primarily because he believed in France’s need for independence. The French president did not think that the threat from the Soviet Union was significant at the time, Mr. Messmer argues, but because of his “tragic view of history” believed that the need would eventually arise for the country to develop all possible resources at its disposal. Mr. Messmer relates several instances of further disagreement with the United States, including France’s refusal to accept the offer of Polaris missiles in 1963. He identifies a number of mistaken U.S. conceptions about Europe and France, noting for example that Robert McNamara’s flexible response doctrine was inappropriate for Europe. Other governments accepted it, in his opinion, because they had no choice. He also touches on France’s sometimes difficult relations with Germany and Britain. After witnessing a nuclear test in the Sahara, De Gaulle, according to Mr. Messmer, called it “magnificent”; however, he contends that the president was referring to the implications of the test for France rather than the impressiveness of the device. The interview concludes with Mr. Messmer’s assertion that the attractiveness of nuclear weapons in the early days derived from both security concerns and national prestige.
Interviewee:
Messmer, Pierre, 1916-2007
Date:
May 11, 1986
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
WGBH
Collection (local):
WGBH Open Vault
Series:
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
Subjects:
Soviet Union
Great Britain
United Nations
Detente
Tactical nuclear weapons
Nuclear warfare
Ball, George
German rearmament
United Nations. Security Council
Multilateral force (Nuclear strategy)
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Polaris (Missile)
Nuclear weapons
Flexible response (Nuclear strategy)
Peace movements
United States. Atomic Energy Act of 1946
World War II
Strauss, Franz Josef, 1915-1988
Bowie, Robert R. (Robert Richardson), 1909-
Mitterrand, Francois, 1916-1996
McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
Churchill, Winston, 1874-1965
Gaulle, Charles de, 1890-1970
Norstad, Lauris, 1907-1988
Places:
United States
Germany
France
Extent:
00:41:31:07
Link to Item:
https://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_AE0601C3C1C04F429D6203C4D23A4670
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
WGBH Educational Foundation
Identifier:
V_AE0601C3C1C04F429D6203C4D23A4670