Videos that made history
From the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 to a documentary on environmental concerns made in the 1970s, this collection of videos brings history to life.
The first video, placed immediately below, shows clips from the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949.
We also present two additional videos that are representative of films that NATO has produced over the years.
“The Atlantic Community,” contains national documentaries of NATO’s early members.
Over time, we hope to make more video footage available, both on this site and through our developing NATOchannel.tv on the Internet. We hope that you enjoy this digital exploration of NATO’s past.
Signing of the North Atlantic Treaty
On 4 April 1949, The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington, DC by ministers from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The video to the left includes a speech by US President Harry Truman and moments from the signing ceremony.
The Atlantic Community
Commissioned not long after NATO’s founding, the film series presented below explores the history, politics, and culture of the Alliance’s early members, including Germany. The result is a charming portrayal of Western life in the 1950s. Watch the other movies from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
The Rocket Story
This film is a documentary on the history and military use of rockets, explained in anticipation of the first moon landing.
Versus
This avant-garde NATO documentary reflects a growing awareness of environmental concerns in the 1970s. A man and a woman embrace and kiss, but their romance is interrupted by shots of military conflict, bombs dropping, and an atomic bombing exploding.