Henrik Bering on The General: Charles de Gaulle and the France He Saved by Jonathan Fenby. ... De gaulle never doubted the war's eventual outcome, especially once the Americans were in, but, as Fenby notes, his task was the tricky one of ensuring that France got a seat among the victors. read more
Charles de Gaulle did not hate America. He simply understood that the U.S. was not looking out for France, and would pursue her interests outside that of France’s. Therefore he asserted French “independence” on the global stage by breaking free of NATO, creating a nuclear program, and seeking diplomatic “friendship” with some nations not necessarily loved by the U.S. read more
De Gaulle had a vision of the world that was clearly against the Soviet Union but he did not want the rest of the world to be one block against the other : he thought that the world should be multi-lateral, with several poles, Europe being of course a major one and France enabling Europe and the world benefit from her special relations with her former French-speaking colonies. read more
Because of that, De Gaulle was a hero to most British and American citizens at the time, a fact that he repeatedly exploited in his dealings with Churchill and Roosevelt. There are four things about Charles De Gaulle that I think are indisputable: 1. He was a strong French nationalist. 2. read more