Atlantic Institute

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, it was founded in 1961.

The institute was approved by the NATO ParliamentariansConference 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. [cite web
url=http://www.nato.int/acad/fellow/96-98/small.pdf
title=The Atlantic Council--The Early Years
author=Melvin Small
date=1998-06-01
publisher=NATO]

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. [cite news
title=Trilateral Commission Considers Merger With Similar Paris Group
author=John M. Goshko,
date=1978-01-18
publisher=The Washington Post] 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. [cite news
title=Guerrillas Bomb Offices in Paris
work=The Philadelphia Inquirer
author=Claire Rosemberg
date=1984-07-16]

Notable members

*George Catlin, draftsman of constitution
*John J. McCloy, Honorary Chairman 1966-1968
*Theodore Achilles, Governor 1969-1973
*Martin J. Hillenbrand, Director General 1977 - 1982
*George Baring, 3rd Earl of Cromer, Governor
*Kasım Gülek, Governor
*Olivier Giscard d'Estaing, Governor

References