The Atlantic Institute (full name, Atlantic Institute for International Affairs) was an independent, non-governmental institute that promoted economic, political, and cultural relations among

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

alliance members and the international community in general. Based in a mansion at 120, rue de Longchamp in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France, it was founded in 1961 and closed in 1988. The institute was approved by the NATO Parliamentarians Conference in June 1959 and opened formally on January 1, 1961. Former Belgian Prime Minister

Paul van Zeeland Paul Guillaume, Viscount van Zeeland (11 November 1893 – 22 September 1973) was a Belgian lawyer, economist, Catholic politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1935 to 1937. Biography van Zeeland was born in Soi ...

was the first Chairman of the institute, while

Henry Cabot Lodge Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850November 9, 1924) was an American politician, historian, lawyer, and statesman from Massachusetts. A member of the History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served in the United States ...

became Director-General later that year. Headquarters initially were at the

Hôtel de Crillon Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel () is a historic luxury hotel in Paris which opened in 1909 in a building dating to 1758. Located at the foot of the Champs-Élysées, the Crillon, along with the Hôtel de la Marine, is one of two identical s ...

, site of the

1919 Paris Peace Conference Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Bratislava, Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY Iolaire, HMY '' ...

. Funding of $250,000 over five years was supplied by the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel 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 The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973, principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...

, a similar private institution promoting American, European, and Japanese cooperation, but no merger proceeded. 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 Catlin George Catlin ( ; July 26, 1796 – December 23, 1872) was an American lawyer, painter, author, and traveler, who specialized in portraits of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the American frontier. Traveling to the Wes ...

, draftsman of constitution *

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and high-ranking bureaucrat. He served as United States Assistant Secretary of War, Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry L. Stims ...

, 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 Olivier Giscard d'Estaing (30 December 1927 – 13 September 2021) was chairman of the Committee for a World Parliament. The brother of French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (1926–2020), he was the founding dean and director general of ...

, Governor

References

International organizations based in France Foreign policy and strategy think tanks based in Europe Organizations related to NATO {{France-org-stub