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Conclusion

How Intelligence Becomes Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 February 2023

Susan McCall Perlman
Affiliation:
National Intelligence University
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Summary

The conclusion argues that U.S. analysis on France reveals the complex relationship between intelligence and the formulation of American foreign policy in the early Cold War. It contends that a transnational and at times transimperial web of French factions and informants was largely responsible for shaping these views through their frequent informal and formal exchanges with American diplomats and intelligence officials, and they did so with their own political agendas and interests in mind. Through their U.S. contacts, they directly contested images of France, demonstrated legitimacy and outmaneuvered rivals, and played a fundamental role in shaping American perceptions and policy. This chapter also shows that the narrative of French weakness and communist intrigue began to unravel under the scrutiny of analysts who understood its provenance and questioned its basis. In fact, there were a myriad of other explanations for seemingly nefarious communist activity in France, ones for which emotionally driven and depleted observers failed to account.

Type
Chapter
Information
Contesting France
Intelligence and US Foreign Policy in the Early Cold War
, pp. 192 - 204
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Conclusion
  • Susan McCall Perlman, National Intelligence University
  • Book: Contesting France
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009053907.007
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  • Conclusion
  • Susan McCall Perlman, National Intelligence University
  • Book: Contesting France
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009053907.007
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • Susan McCall Perlman, National Intelligence University
  • Book: Contesting France
  • Online publication: 02 February 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009053907.007
Available formats
×