Originally Posted by
blimey
Letter from this morning's Telegraph if I'm allowed to post it:
SIR – It appears that Emmanuel Macron, the new French president, along with some French officials in the EU administration, are determined to make political and financial capital from Brexit.
They might be reminded of the French withdrawal from Nato’s military arm in 1966. This, at a time of difficult relations with the Soviet Union, required US and Canadian forces, and staff from the international headquarters, to leave France in short order and with no compensation for the money invested in military infrastructure. Moreover, much extra money was then needed to resettle the military in other countries.
France remained a political member of Nato, creating waves when it suited her, while benefiting from the security that forward-based American, British and Canadian armed forces provided within the Nato alliance. A free ride: nice if you can get it.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon
Which naturally brings us to President Johnson asking DeGaulle if his order to remove all US troops from French soil included the dead ones in cemeteries from WW1 and WW2.
The French will always be there when they need us...