Submerging ancient differences and securing Western virtues: German rearmament, 1950-1955

This dissertation describes the American effort to rearm West Germany and integrate it into NATO during the Cold War. The large Soviet advantage in European ground forces convinced the Truman administration to seek a German military contribution to NATO, especially after the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 provoked widespread Western fears of a world-wide Communist onslaught. Accordingly, Truman directed Secretary of State Dean Acheson to propose the creation of German military forces at the September 1950 New York Conference of the NATO Council. Most of the NATO Allies reluctantly accepted the American proposal, but France remained vehemently opposed. French opposition to German rearmament and the American attempt to overcome it spawned a series of diplomatic conferences which culminated in the European Defense Community treaty of May 1952. This EDC treaty was designed to integrate German units into a unified European Army. During 1953 and early 1954, though, the French turned away from the idea because they did not want to sacrifice their national military traditions and independence. The French National Assembly defeated the European Defence Community in August 1954. President Eisenhower's Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, then met with the NATO ministers at the September 1954 London Conference and developed a plan for West Germany's full membership in NATO and the Western European Union. The NATO Allies, including France, accepted the proposal and Germany entered NATO in May 1955.