Negotiating with the Enemy and Having Problems with the Allies: The impact of the Non-Proliferation Treaty on Transatlantic Relations

This chapter focuses on one of the tensest moments in the history of the Atlantic alliance’s nuclear dilemmas, namely the latest phase of the negotiations that led to the signature of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. As the US, Great Britain and the USSR drew near the conclusion of a treaty, two of the key Western European allies, namely West Germany and Italy, displayed a growing resentment towards what they saw as an unprecedented turnaround, and forced the Johnson administration to adjust to at least some of their requests before they joined the NPT. After a brief survey of the early phase of the NPT negotiations, the chapter focuses on the crucial period between late 1966 and early 1968, when the US reached an agreement with the Soviet Union for a joint draft treaty. In a second paragraph, the chapter explores the criticism levelled by West Germany and Italy against the Soviet-American draft. Particular attention is given to the Italian-German bilateral discussions, in which representatives of the two governments frankly expressed their disappointment at the evolution of the NPT talks. A final paragraph looks more in depth at the motivations of this hostile attitude and also tries to interpret the significance of this episode for the evolution of the alliance.