French-American relations had come a long way since the days when de Gaulle

was referring to "les deux hegemonies," but there were now two unsettling factors on the

horizon: U.S.-Soviet implementation of the INF treaty, to remove intermediate-range

nuclear missiles from Europe, and the unification of Europe, scheduled for 1992. Our

extremely knowledgeable guests are worried but non-apocalyptic. JFP: "There was a

time when there was a certain opening of France towards the Soviet Union. This has

changed. There is a lot of reluctance, a lot of caution in assessing the Gorbachev

experiment. Our feeling is that a close coupling with the United States is necessary for

our defense, although we have a deterrent, want to keep it, and want to modernize it."

NW: "I think that the French have become the most anti-Soviet people in Europe."