UNITED NATIONS 1944-1945, DE GAULLE’S BATTLE

Since its founding in May 1945, France has held a permanent representative seat on the United Nations Security Council – alongside the US, the UK, Russia and China. But originally, France was by no means expected to join this exclusive club.

Following its defeat in 1940, France was long looked down upon by the other four members of the Security Council – the true architects and founders of UN. Shut out of the early planning stages that led to the creation of the organization, France was never seriously considered for a permanent seat on the Security Council. To secure that status, General de Gaulle had to wage a decisive diplomatic battle.

The film revisits the intense struggle led by de Gaulle – then head of the Provisional Government –, supported by his diplomats and a number of key figures, to ensure that France, in the end, could claim its place in the club.