allayed Bonn's suspicions that its allies had lost interest in resolving the issue of Germany's division." (Hanrieder, Page 320.) With the nuclear arms gap substantially lessened and the United States was no longer the nuclear giant, Europe worried that the United States was not as committed as they had previously thought to the protection of Europe through NATO. West Germany was especially fearful of this considering its keystone position between the East and the West and the long years of controversy surrounding it. In addition, Washington's policy was aimed towards preserving the status quo in Europe, something Germany did not want. However, if West Germany were to consider opting with a French foreign policy, they would be conflicting with many important issues and questions important to their country. Also, they would be seriously removing themselves from the security of protection from the East. "De Gaulle wanted the economic benefits of the Common Market without paying a political price, whereas Adenauer was ready to pay an economic price for political benefits. De Gaulle sought a European base for his global political ambitions; Adenauer sought an Atlantic base for his European ambitions." (Hanreider, Page 321.) In short, the policies of the United States were far to conservative and those of France were far too innovative. While the United States wanted things in Europe to stay how they were, France wanted to eliminate the presence of the two superpowers. The debate over foreign policy continued throughout the 1960s as different leaders came into power. In 1963, Ludwig Erhard took over Konrad Adenauer's position as chancellor. "The possibility that the United States would assent to legitimizing the division of Europe and Germany- the central foreign policy aim of the Soviet Union in the 1960s- was a nightmare for both Adenauer and Erhard and a continuing source of concern during the years of the "Grand Coalition" go...
