The decision is not surprising as the Socialist Party stated in their election campaign that if elected there would be no change in French foreign policy.

What Mitterand is interested in doing is redefining France's role in Nato and reorientating Nato to be more a European force than a puppet of the United States. France quite rightly believes that the American Government won't risk the annihilation of the United States in order to save Europe. Consequently, France wishes to be independent of the US and has traditionally developed its own weapons-including nuclear armaments.