Editing Paul-Henri Spaak (section)

==Foreign policies==
He was again foreign minister from April 1954 to June 1958 in the cabinet of [[Achille Van Acker]] and from April 1961 to March 1966 in the cabinets of [[Théo Lefèvre]] and [[Pierre Harmel]].  Although his political base was in the Socialist Party, he disagreed with its policies on several critical points, including [[Atlanticism]], recognition of Franco's Spain, and the [[language legislation in Belgium|language issue inside Belgium]].<ref>Fabien Conord,  "Paul-Henri Spaak, héraut ou soliste du socialisme belge?." ''Canadian Journal of History'' 49.1 (2014): 1–30, in French.</ref> During Spaak's final term as Belgium's Foreign Minister, he presided over Belgium granting independence to [[Kingdom of Burundi|Burundi]] following the [[Prince Louis Rwagasore#Assassination in 1961|assassination of Prince Louis Rwagasore]], the country's first elected prime minister. Despite allegations of Belgian involvement in Rwagasore's murder, Spaak appealed to Belgian King [[Baudouin of Belgium|Baudouin]] not to grant Rwagasore's convicted murderer a pardon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.afrikafocus.eu/file/96|title=Boomzeit in Südafrika für Wetten und Bingo, aber das Online-Casino wird zurückgehalten – Afrika Focus}}</ref>

=== UN ===
Spaak gained international prominence in 1945 when he was elected chairman of the first session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. During the third session of the [[UN General Assembly]] in 1948 in Paris, Spaak apostrophized the delegation of the Soviet Union with the famous words: "peur de vous" (fear of you).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/PV.147|title=3rd sess. [1948]: A/PV.147: Paul-Henry Spaak|publisher=United Nations|page=280}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cvce.eu/content/publication/1997/10/13/c2b47cd3-bcb1-403e-8e96-e2290ac782b3/publishable_fr.pdf|title=Discours de Paul-Henri Spaak (Washington, 28 septembre 1948)|publisher=cvce.eu|page=5}}</ref>

=== Europe ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F004456-0010, Karlspreis Aachen, Verleihung an Paul-Henri Spaak.jpg|thumb|Spaak photographed receiving the [[Charlemagne Prize]] in 1957]]
Spaak became a staunch supporter of regional cooperation and collective security after 1944. While still in exile in London, he promoted the creation of a customs union uniting Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (see [[Benelux]]). In 1948 he helped organize a Congress that met in The Hague and pressed hard for the creation of the [[Council of Europe]]. In August 1949, at its first session, he was elected President of the Council of Europe's Consultative Assembly, where he helped develop a network of intergovernmental contacts in many fields, and did his best to encourage further steps towards a political body to unite Europe. However, after three years of patient cajoling at the Council of Europe, Spaak came to understand that the organization was not ready to move towards the united Europe that he dreamed of, and in December 1951 - after the Assembly rejected a proposal to set up a European "political authority" - he resigned, declaring his great regret at this missed [http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/Speeches/Speech-XML2HTML-EN.asp?SpeechID=271 opportunity]. But he continued to press for European integration as head of the [[European Movement]], and it was not long before he returned to the fray, in a new and more promising forum: from 1952 to 1953, he presided over the [[European Parliament|Common Assembly]] of the [[European Coal and Steel Community]], the body which was eventually to grow into the European Union.<ref>Sandro Guerrieri,  "From the Hague Congress to the Council of Europe: hopes, achievements and disappointments in the parliamentary way to European integration (1948–51)." ''Parliaments, Estates and Representation'' 34#2 (2014): 216–227.</ref>

But, as Spaak had shrewdly foreseen, tying the coal and steel industries of France and Germany together - at that time the two industries necessary to make war - was just the first step. His next goal was to expand the concept far beyond these two industries into a much wider economic body, which could in turn form the embryo of a political union. In 1955, the [[Messina Conference]] of European leaders appointed him as chairman of a preparatory committee ([[Spaak Committee]]) charged with the preparation of a report on the creation of a common European market. The so-called "[[Spaak Report]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aei.pitt.edu/995/ |title=Spaak report |publisher=Aei.pitt.edu |access-date=2013-12-30}}</ref> " formed the cornerstone of the [[Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom]] at [[Castle of the Valley of the Duchess|Val Duchesse]] in 1956 and led to the signature, on 25 March 1957, of the [[Treaties of Rome]] establishing a [[European Economic Community]] and the [[European Atomic Energy Community]] (Euratom). Paul-Henri Spaak signed the treaty for Belgium, together with [[Jean Charles Snoy et d'Oppuers]]. It was a crowning achievement of decades of patient work, and his role in the creation of the EEC earned Spaak a place among the [[founding fathers of the European Union]].

===NATO===
In 1956, he was chosen by the Council of [[NATO]] to succeed [[Hastings Lionel Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay|Lord Ismay]] as secretary general. He held this office from 1957 until 1961, when he was succeeded by [[Dirk Stikker]]. He feuded constantly with French president Charles de Gaulle. He publicly attacked de Gaulle, blaming him for unjustly and unwisely blocking NATO's progress and stalling efforts toward European and Atlantic integration. De Gaulle was uncompromising on issues related to national sovereignty, mistrusted the United States and considered Britain to be an American puppet; he insisted on developing French nuclear capabilities. Although Spaak used every diplomatic method at his disposal, his opinion mattered little to the main players in NATO.<ref>Pascal Deloge, "Spaak-de Gaulle, 1958–60: charged memories," ''Revue d'Histoire Diplomatique'' (2008) 122#2 pp 135–151, in French.</ref>  When, in 1962, France, under de Gaulle, attempted to block both British entry to the European Communities and undermine their [[Supranational union|supranational]] foundation with the [[Fouchet Plan]], Spaak working with [[Joseph Luns]] of the Netherlands rebuffed the idea. He was a staunch defender of the independence of the European Commission. "Europe of tomorrow must be a supranational Europe," he declared. In honour of his work for Europe, the first building of the [[Espace Léopold|European Parliament in Brussels]] was named after him.  When France withdrew from an active role in NATO in 1966, he was instrumental in the selection of Brussels as the new headquarters.

On 21 February 1961, Spaak was presented with the [[Medal of Freedom (1945)|Medal of Freedom]] by US President [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite book|title=President John F. Kennedy Presents the Medal of Freedom to Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Paul-Henri Spaak, Oval Office, White House, Washington, DC, 02/21/1961|url=https://research.archives.gov/description/6817189|website=OPA – Online Public Access|series=Series: Robert Knudsen White House Photographs, 12/19/1960 - 3/11/1964 |date=21 February 1961 |publisher=National Archives and Records Administration|access-date=2014-07-04}}</ref>