Creation of NATO

Introduction

For much of its history, the United States shunned what Thomas Jefferson in his first inaugural address called “entangling alliances” with other countries. This meant, above all, standing apart from the political affairs of Europe. The United States broke with that tradition when it entered World War I, though President Woodrow Wilson insisted that the United States fought beside France and Great Britain as an “associated power” and not an allied one. After the war ended, the United States again turned its back on Europe. That pattern looked set to repeat when Germany surrendered at the end of World War II. However, Soviet efforts to dominate Europe changed U.S. calculations. Rather than returning home, the United States committed itself to the defense of Europe with the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It became the most successful military alliance in history, deterring the Soviet Union and ushering in what has been called the “Long Peace” in Europe. SHAFR historians ranked the creation of NATO as the sixth-best U.S. foreign policy decision.

With domestic backing in hand, U.S. diplomats began negotiating a collective security agreement with Canada and ten European countries. The negotiators confronted multiple issues, but two stood out. One was whether a treaty’s mutual defense guarantee would extend beyond North America and Europe, and specifically, to the overseas colonies that Britain, France, and several other European countries maintained. The other was whether the United States would automatically come to the defense of other treaty members should they be attacked.

Article 5 of what became the NATO Treaty answered both questions. It holds that all “Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” That formulation excluded overseas colonies. Article 5 also says that in the event of an attack on any treaty country or countries, each treaty signatory is empowered to take “such action as it deems necessary.” No country was committed automatically to going to war. Article 11 provided that the parties to the treaty would carry out its provisions “in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.”

On April 4, 1949, representatives of the United States, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United Kingdom met in Washington, DC, to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. Truman hailed it for creating “a shield against aggression and the fear of aggression.”

The U.S. Senate began consideration of the North Atlantic Treaty in July 1949. Thirteen days of sometimes bitter debate followed. Senator Robert H. Taft of Ohio, the leader of the isolationist wing of the Republican Party, pushed to limit the United States’ obligations under the treaty. Large majorities rejected his efforts. On July 21, the Senate approved the treaty by a vote of 82 to 13. The other treaty signatories completed their ratification procedures by August 24. At that point, the North Atlantic Treaty formally entered into force and NATO was established.

NATO became the most successful defensive military alliance in history. It deterred a Soviet military attack on Western Europe and ushered in what has been called the Long Peace in Europe. Just as important, in combination with the Marshall Plan, it fostered a stable democratic order in Western Europe, blunted the resurgence of militant nationalism, and facilitated European economic integration that advanced economic prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic. The alliance also deepened U.S.-European cooperation on a range of fronts and enhanced U.S. global leadership. In the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO membership helped stabilize and democratize post-Communist Europe. NATO today has thirty-two member countries, and it remains a pillar of U.S. foreign policy.