Atlantic Institute
Encyclopedia
The Atlantic Institute is an independent, non-governmental institute which promotes economic, political, and cultural relations among NATO alliance members and the international community in general. Based in Paris
, France
it was founded in 1961.
The institute was approved by the NATO Parliamentarians
Conference in June 1959 and opened formally on January 1 of 1961. Former Belgian Prime Minister Paul van Zeeland
was the first Chairman of the institute, while Henry Cabot Lodge
became Director-General later that year. Headquarters initially were at the Hôtel de Crillon
, site of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
. Funding of $250,000 over five years was supplied by the Ford Foundation
, with a further $800,000 given between 1969 and 1973.
In 1978, talks were held to consider a merger between the Atlantic Institute and the Trilateral Commission
, a similar private institution promoting American, European, and Japanese cooperation. The idea was scrapped however.
On July 12, 1984, the offices of the Institute were bombed by the left-wing guerrilla group Action directe, who described the institute as an "imperialist" organization working for NATO.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
it was founded in 1961.
The institute was approved by the NATO Parliamentarians
Conference in June 1959 and opened formally on January 1 of 1961. Former Belgian Prime Minister Paul van Zeeland
Paul van Zeeland
Paul Guillaume van Zeeland was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician and statesman born in Soignies....
was the first Chairman of the institute, while Henry Cabot Lodge
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.
Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. was a Republican United States Senator from Massachusetts and a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, South Vietnam, West Germany, and the Holy See . He was the Republican nominee for Vice President in the 1960 Presidential election.-Early life:Lodge was born in Nahant,...
became Director-General later that year. Headquarters initially were at the Hôtel de Crillon
Hôtel de Crillon
The Hôtel de Crillon in Paris is one of the oldest luxury hotels in the world. The hotel is located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées and is one of two identical stone palaces on the Place de la Concorde. The Crillon has 103 guest rooms and 44 suites...
, site of the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
. Funding of $250,000 over five years was supplied by the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
, with a further $800,000 given between 1969 and 1973.
In 1978, talks were held to consider a merger between the Atlantic Institute and the Trilateral Commission
Trilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a non-governmental, non-partisan discussion group founded by David Rockefeller in July 1973 to foster closer cooperation among the United States, Europe and Japan.-History:...
, a similar private institution promoting American, European, and Japanese cooperation. The idea was scrapped however.
On July 12, 1984, the offices of the Institute were bombed by the left-wing guerrilla group Action directe, who described the institute as an "imperialist" organization working for NATO.
Notable members
- George CatlinGeorge Catlin (political scientist)Sir George Edward Gordon Catlin was an English political scientist and philosopher. A strong proponent of Anglo-America cooperation, he worked for many years as a professor at Cornell University and other universities and colleges in the United States and Canada. He preached the use of a natural...
, draftsman of constitution - John J. McCloyJohn J. McCloyJohn Jay McCloy was a lawyer and banker who served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, president of the World Bank and U.S. High Commissioner for Germany...
, Honorary Chairman 1966-1968 - Theodore AchillesTheodore AchillesTheodore Carter Achilles was a United States diplomat who served as Ambassador to Peru.-Biography:Achilles was born 29 December 1905 in Rochester, New York to the daughter of Eastman Kodak president Henry A. Strong. Achilles' uncle, George R. Carter, was the second Governor of Hawaii...
, Governor 1969-1973 - Martin J. HillenbrandMartin J. HillenbrandMartin Joseph Hillenbrand was an American diplomat who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany from 1972 to 1976.-Career:...
, Director General 1977 - 1982 - George Baring, 3rd Earl of CromerGeorge Baring, 3rd Earl of CromerLieutenant-Colonel Rowland Stanley Baring, 3rd Earl of Cromer, KG, GCMG, MBE, PC , styled Viscount Errington before 1953, was a British banker and diplomat...
, Governor - Kasım GülekKasim GülekKasım Gülek was a prominent Turkish statesman credited with being instrumental in entrenching democracy in Turkey by taking politics to the masses.-Biography:...
, Governor - Olivier Giscard d'EstaingOlivier Giscard d'EstaingDr. Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, born in Paris, December 30, 1927, is chairman of the Committee for a World Parliament. The brother of former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is the Founding Dean and Director General of the INSEAD business school and Governor of the Atlantic Institute.He has served...
, Governor