June 8, 1959
CHARLES DE GAULLE AND NATO: London, 8 – General Charles de Gaulle’s persistent refusal to allow the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to install nuclear weapons on French soil unless the French government has absolute control over them has caused great upheaval and confusion in NATO. De Gaulle’s statement, following his earlier refusal to incorporate the French air force into the unified NATO command and the recall of France’s Mediterranean naval squadron from the unified NATO naval force in the Mediterranean, has created a crisis within the alliance. A country is being sought at which to station 200 American bomber aircraft, after De Gaulle’s decisions have made it very difficult for them to remain in France. GREECE-BULGARIA: Sofia, 9 – The Bulgarian government has handed a demarche to the Greek charge d’affaires regarding an alleged plan to allow the installation of missile bases on Greek soil. The demarche calls for a meeting of Balkan nations to declare the peninsula a missile-free zone as well as the commencement of Greek-Bulgarian talks in order to settle their «economic differences» and to sign a non-aggression pact.
