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| Updated: May 1999 | NATO Archives |
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The announcement by France of its withdrawal from the integrated military structure coupled with the questioning by certain elements of public opinion of the relevancy of NATO led to calls for an in-depth review of the Alliance's aims. At the December 1966 Ministerial Meeting, on the proposal of the Belgian Foreign Minister Mr Pierre Harmel and recalling the initiative taken by Canada in December 1964, the "Council resolved to undertake a broad analysis of international developments since the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949. Its purpose would be to determine the influence of such developments on the Alliance and to identify the tasks which lie before it, in order to strengthen the Alliance as a factor for a durable peace". [M3(66)3 of 16/12/66] It was decided that a preliminary report would be examined at the Spring 1967 Ministerial Meeting and the Ministerial Council at its meeting in December 1967 would draw the appropriate conclusions that emerged from that enquiry. A special group of Representatives was established under the Chairmanship of the Secretary General and sub-groups were set up each working on a broad subject of interest to the Alliance and each chaired by a Rapporteur of repute. [press communique (67)3] . Work started on 17th April 1967. It was decided that the four reports would be drafted under the responsibility of each Rapporteur but that efforts would be made to avoid any duplication. The written reports went through several stages: they were reviewed and the findings compared during a last meeting of the rapporteurs at Ditchley Park (UK) in October. Based on the work of the four sub-groups a draft summary report was prepared by the International Staff Secretariat in November which was subsequently presented to Foreign Affairs Ministers in December 1967. After some last amendments the report was approved by Ministers on 14th December 1967 and issued as an annex to the final communique.
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