Comment by leonidasrup

History behind the French decision to build it's own independent nuclear deterrence was interesting:

" De Gaulle asked asked Kennedy: “Would you trade New York for Paris?” His point was that if he wasn't convinced, would the Russians be? So it's not just about numbers of warheads. It's about the defensive posture overall. "

https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2025/03/nuclear-deterre...

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1962/08/de-gaul...