Based on that doubt, France – a nuclear power since 1960 – withdrew in 1966 from the Alliance’s permanent centralized military command in order to assert its own deterrent capability. This decision was mainly grounded on the American doctrine, adopted in 1962, of “flexible response,” which said to the Soviets: “As long as you do not use nuclear weapons, we will not use them, either.”
正基于此疑问，为了维护自身的主权安全，法国在1966年退出了北约的军事体系（法国1960年成为有核国家）。此项决定是在美国1962推出所谓“灵活应对”的法令后而做出的。灵活应对的含义是“只要苏联不对美国实施核打击，美国也不会使用核武器。”这样来看的话，欧洲的安全利益就被出卖了。