Spirit of the Nation ★ Female America

2. First NATO Meeting

April 5, 1949

The Pentagon

Washington, D.C., United States

I nervously tapped my note cards on the table.

Every founding member was present at the round table—England, Canada, France, Italy, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, and, of course, me. The meeting hadn't yet convened, but the arguing certainly had.

Our nation's leaders had passed several controversial articles of conduct for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Most notable was Article Five, which stated that an attack against one member state was an attack against us all. Such an attack would automatically trigger a collective response.

The dull roar of voices in the room made it hard to think properly.

Trying to distract myself, I leaned towards Canada.

"I like the new glasses."

Her worried eyes darted to me, and then a smile spread on her face. "Thank you," she under her breath. "Just trying out a new look."

I settled back with a hum and a smile. "Kind of like England and his tie clips."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him subconsciously straighten his tie. His annoyed glower only deepened. "America, your fashion sense is as timeless as a sand castle."

I glanced down at my padded Houndstooth blazer. "Well, good thing everyone likes sand castles," I chirped. "Unlike tea."

This seemed to send him over the edge. He slowly rose to his feet and planted his hands on the table. Not a single head turned in his direction. He cleared his throat, and then he spoke—well, roared.

"Let's have some order!"

Silence instantly descended over the room. Every eye fixed on him, and some heads bowed in respect. England sat down wearing a look that could kill.

I suddenly realized that was my cue.

I hopped to my feet.

"Um. Hello, everyone!"

I smiled nervously. I heard France give a supportive greeting as I lifted my note cards.

"Thank you for being here today. I'm thrilled to have the pleasure of hosting you all in Washington. I understand that it's just about everyone's first time in the United States," I said, looking up excitedly. I received a single cough in reply. "Um, yes. As the host Nation, I will be guiding us through today's agenda. Our first order of business is...committee assignments."

The first half of the meeting flowed nicely. When Italy raised his hand and asked to speak, I uneasily gave him the floor. He consulted a note card of his own.

"I...I haven't spoken with many of you since the...w—war, so I want to give everyone a formal apology right now, because Italia made many mistakes under...that regime...but it does not reflect the people who live there, truly we are warm welcoming and loving people, you know, we are your neighbors and we are your friends."

He paused, out of breath.

"What I am trying to say, what happened during the war...it will never ever happen again. I promise you. And I thank Inghilterra and America for giving me such a warm welcome and...well, that's all."

He sat down in a hurry, and I began a round of applause for him. Some Nations were more enthusiastic than others, and some muttered to one another under their breath.

"Thank you, Italy," I said. "I'm sure we all appreciate your candidness. Actually, that leads us nicely to our next discussion item..." I unceremoniously flipped to my next note card. "...Germany."

Everyone hushed at the name. France, who had been paying careful attention to me, turned his face away.

"Britain, France, and the United States have been doing the important work of building a democratic government in Germany," I began. "This has been and will continue to be a difficult task, but we believe that West Germany is on track to gain its independence by '55."

"Unfortunately, the Russians haven't been quite so transparent with their plans. We, along with many of you, are concerned that the Soviet Union may attempt to annex parts of East Germany. However, we consider armed conflict with Russia to be completely off the table."

I glanced up to see relieved looks and sighs around the table.

 "This leaves us only one option," I continued, "'political pressure.'"

England nodded at his own words.

Flipping to my last notecard about Korea, I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat.

"Should these efforts fail...I want to make one thing very clear," I said, making deliberate eye contact with each Nation. "The United States will never again hesitate to act against aggressors. We will uphold Article Five of this Alliance. Consider this my country's oath to yours."

My gaze fell when it reached France, landing on my notecard.

"I will be blunt," I said with a sigh. "The situation in Korea is dire. Communist forces are preparing to attack US troops any day. We believe they intend to extend their control over the entire peninsula, and perhaps beyond."

Suddenly, one of the Scandinavians spoke up. It was either Denmark or Norway—I couldn't keep the two straight. "Why are US troops still in Korea?"

"We liberated the southern region from the Japanese during the war," I answered confidently. "Like in Germany, we are trying to establish a democratic government."

The woman next to him—Norway?—whispered something in his ear. "Aren't the Soviets supporting the Korean communists?" he voiced.

I had to think for a moment. "I suppose. Probably."

Triumph flashed in his eyes. "So, war with Russia is not 'off the table' after all," he challenged.

Everyone looked to me for my response. The unexpected scrutiny completely derailed my train of thought. "Um..."

"We must not allow communism to spread any further in Asia," England intervened loudly. "Or in Europe for that matter. It must be contained."

I nodded decisively. "Well put."

Suddenly, several arguments broke out. France shouted something about liberty across the table, and Denmark immediately shot something back. Italy launched into an emotional monologue as Belgium continuously tried to silence him. Even England butted into an argument between Luxembourg and the Netherlands.

I plopped down into my chair. I helplessly looked around, wondering if this dysfunctional bunch actually had the power to oppose communism.

Canada's hand appeared on my arm.

"I'm so glad you're here this time," she gushed with an unfazed smile.

~

Inghilterra | England