Q. U 0 0 T NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION The North Atlantic Treaty was signed on 4 April, 1949. It proclaims in its preamble the determination of member governments “ to safeg uard the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individ ual liberty and the r ule of law” . As well as constituting a defensive military al­ liance - the Parties consider an armed attack against one or more of them as an attack against them all - the Treaty also aims at developing political, eco­ nomic, socia l and cultural co-operation between member countries. The fifteen member countries of the Atlantic Alliance are: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Greece, Iceland. Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Por­ tugal, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. THE SHORT HANDBOOK F E B R U A R Y 1967 NATO INFORMATION SERVICE PORTE DAUPHINE - PARIS 16. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page I In tro d u ctio n ................................................................. 5 II The Present Structure of the Organization . 9 III Documentation. - The North Atlantic T reaty................................... 25 - The Paris Agreem en ts............................................... 28 - List of the Senior Civil and Military Officials of NATO .............................................................................30 - Abridged Chronology ofn a t o ...................................31 - Ministerial Meeting of the North Atlantic Council (December 1966) Final Communiqué .... 33 IV Chart: (Structure of the A lliance)........................20-21 I Introduction The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington on April 4, 1949, by twelveo untries*c to stem the rising wave of Communist expansion, which by then had reached as far as Prague. It founded the Atlantic Alliance and established a Council, the central pillar of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization( n a t o ) , which was to be entrusted with imple­ menting the Treaty. But what, in fact, is n a t o ? This short handbook tries to explain it in a few pages. However, as some ill-informed opinions exist aboutn a t o it is worthwhile to emphasize a few important facts: 1. N a t o is a typically intergovernmental body. It is not a supranational body. The 15 members have to reach all deci­ sions unanimously, thus excluding any question of subordi­ nation. 2. Decisions in the military field are also reached unani­ mously by the chiefs-of-staff of the member countries in meetings of the Military Committee; such decisions ear thereafter submitted to the Council for approval. 3. No national forces, even those assignedn to a t o , are commanded by the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe ( s a c e u r ) , with the exception of certain air defence units which are continuously in the alert state. In peacetime, na­ tional forces receive orders only from their own authorities. 4. S a c e u r ’s mission, which has been established by mem­ ber governments, is to unify the Allies’ defence plans in peacetime and to prepare for the best utilisation of their forces in time of war. * Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Nether­ lands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom and United States. In 1952 Greecc and Turkey acceded to the Treaty and the FederalR epublic of Germany in 1955. [5 ] 5. At the present tim e the only integrated Staffs are the importantn a t o commands, and their different headquarters are dispersed throughout the member countries under the authority of the Supreme Commanders. The latter are in turn responsible to the Military Committee. 6. In case of hostilities, even within the area to which the Treaty applies, no force can be placed under the ope­ rational command ofsh a p e or s a c l a n t unless its govern­ ment so “deems necessary”, as stipulated in Article 5 of the Treaty. It would be even less possible for a country to be drawn against its will into a conflict arising outside the area to which the Treaty applies. Moreover, the acceptance of n a t o bases by a member country does not constitute autho­ rization to the user nation to make use of them against the wishes of the host government. 7. The Atlantic Alliance has undergone considerable evo­ lution since the signature of the Treaty in Washington in 1949. During the first phase, which ran up to approxima­ tely 1955, the partners had progressively to create common machinery to enable them to fulfil the obligations they had contracted under the Treaty. During the second phase, from 1955 to the present day, during which period the communist threat has in no way diminished,n a t o has progressively adapted itself to the new and complex forms which that threat has assumed. While steadily improving its defensive system and adapting it in response to the nuclear develop­ ments which have so profoundly influenced nit, a t o has at the same time been increasing its political role. In this con­ nection it has evolved an entirely new practice of consultation among allies on all problems directly or indirectly of interest to the Alliance. As East-West relations show signs of détente, this con­ sultation proves to be more necessary than ever. Contacts with the Soviet Union and with the States of Eastern Europe are increasing daily. However, since peace will depend for a long time on a balance of power, an Alliance weakened by [6] misunderstandings among its members will, rather than bring about a real détente, make it more difficult to achieve. Close Atlantic understanding and co-operation is therefore the only foundation for a solid and durable peace. [ 7 ] II The Present Structure of the Organization The Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty(n a t o ) includes: - The North Atlantic Council and its Committees - The International Secretariat - The Military Structure I. THE COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES The North Atlantic Council is the highest authority of the Alliance. It is composed of representatives of the fifteen member countries. These being sovereign states, equal in status, all decisions of the Council are taken unanimously. The Council may meet at the level either of Ministers or of Permanent Representatives. At Ministerial Meetings of the Council, the members of the Alliance are represented by one - or several of their ministers (for Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Economic Affairs, etc.) according to the agenda of the meeting. They may also be represented by Heads of Government. In December 1957, the Council met for the first time at the level of Heads of Government. Permanent Representatives of the member countries, who hold the rank of Ambassador, meet between Ministerial Sessions, thus ensuring the continuous functioning of the Council with effective powers of decision. The Permanent Representatives are heads of national delegations accredited to NATO. The Council usually meets at Ministerial level twice a year, once or more during the week at the level of Permanent [9] Representatives. The latter can be called together at short notice at any time. Over the past fifteen years, the Council has held more than a thousand meetings. Whatever the level at which the Council meets, its chairman is the Secretary General ofn a t o . Each year the Foreign Minister of a mem­ ber state is President of the Council. The Presidency rotates annually according to alphabetical order in English. In carrying out its role, the Council is assisted by a num­ ber of committees, some of a permanent nature, some tem­ porary. Like the Council, the membership of each commit­ tee is made up of national representatives.* They study questions submitted to them by the Council for recommen­ dation. They also direct the activities of the International Secretariat. Several of the Committees have been in existence for many years. Those created more recently give an indica­ tion of the ability of the Alliance to adapt itself to changing circumstances. The Political Committee, charged with pre­ paring the political agenda for the Council, dates from 1957. In 1963, the Defence Planning Committee was established; since France’s withdrawal fromn a t o ’s military organiza­ tions, this Committee has been the co-ordinating body for the defence plans of the “Fourteen” dealing with all matters connected with integrated common defence. And at the Ministerial Meeting in December 1966, two bodies for nuclear planning were established: the Nuclear Defence Affairs Committee, open to alln a t o countries, and a Nuc­ lear Planning Group of seven members, of whom four are permanent (the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and three rotate among the other members. The Economic Committee and the Annual Review Committee study the economic problems relating to the defence effort of member countries. Among other important Committees are: the Science Com­ mittee and the Infrastructure Committee, whose varied tasks are directly linked to fundamental and applied research; the * Since 1966, France has withdrawn from certain Committees. [1 0 ] Senior Civil Emergency Planning Committee, one of the oldest ofn a t o Committees; the Committee for European Airspace Co-ordination; the Committee for Pipelines; the Committee for Information and Cultural Relations; and the Civil and Military Budget Committees who carefully supervise the expenditures ofn a t o funds for the maintenance of the International Secretariat and military headquarters. II. THE INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT The Secretary General ofn a t o is head of the International Secretariat which is composed of an international staff drawn from all member countries. It is divided into Divisions accor­ ding to the principal activities of the Organization. Secretary General The Secretary General is Chairman of the North Atlantic Council and is responsible for the direction of the Interna­ tional Staff/Secretariat.