Jean-Marc Lieberherr analyzes Jean Monnet’s key role in obtaining American arms for Britain and France during the Second World War, and in promoting international cooperation.
A convinced internationalist long before he became one of the founding fathers of the European Union, Jean Monnet played a key role in strengthening cooperation between nations during the two world wars. A member of the Executive Committee of the Allied Shipping Council during the First World War, he helped coordinate shipping between the Allied powers – France, Great Britain, Italy and, from 1918, the United States – before becoming Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations in 1919.
In the following world conflict, Monnet, enjoying the confidence of Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, oversaw the purchase of arms from the United States through the Anglo-French Coordination Committee, the British Purchasing Committee and the Combined Production and Resources Council. According to economist John Maynard Keynes, his work helped shorten the war by a year.
After 1945, Monnet continued his quest for internationalist solutions, promoting the integration of the French and German markets within the framework of the European Coal and Steel Community. Aware of the wider potential of cooperative principles, he advocated a European Defense Community during the Korean War. Although this attempt to integrate European defense failed, his commitment inspired the founding treaties of the European Union. In recognition of his action, he became the first “Honorary Citizen of Europe” in 1976.
Jean-Marc Lieberherr is the founding president of the Institut Jean Monnet (IJM), dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Monnet’s historical legacy. Before founding the IJM in 2021, he led a career with major international groups such as LVMH, Unilever and Rio Tinto.