Strong French post-war gains

Following WW2, the French unilaterally occupied the Aosta Valley and desired annexation of Saarland, Kehl, Vintimiglia, the Aosta Valley, Susa Valley, and Chisone Valley. Truman was very unhappy with this and bullied them out of it.

What if the French had been stubborn and pushed harder for these territories? Might the US cut the French off from support in Indochina perhaps? France pulling out of Indochina would likely mean a different Algerian War.
 
Bullied them? The only reason they occupied any land was because the Germans and Americans gave them part of their share. The French actually raced to get to one of Hitler's bunkers so they could have claimed to capture it, instead of helping in... well, capturing Germans or stuff.
 
The French didn't return the Saar until 1957, five years after the formation of the Coal and Steel Community, and they were compensated for it by getting rights to another coal basin. Where do you read American bullying in this? Much less anything to do with Truman?

In any case, the Saar rejected a proposal to be made an independent state, despite it being endorsed by Adenauer, by a 2 to 1 margin. I'm less sure about the other territories, but it doesn't seem politically feasible in the long run.
 
The French didn't return the Saar until 1957, five years after the formation of the Coal and Steel Community, and they were compensated for it by getting rights to another coal basin. Where do you read American bullying in this? Much less anything to do with Truman?

In any case, the Saar rejected a proposal to be made an independent state, despite it being endorsed by Adenauer, by a 2 to 1 margin. I'm less sure about the other territories, but it doesn't seem politically feasible in the long run.


I read in older threads that Truman was very unhappy with DeGaulle's wanting to annex Aosta and other border bits from Italy.
 
I read in older threads that Truman was very unhappy with DeGaulle's wanting to annex Aosta and other border bits from Italy.
And why shouldn't he be? The war was to to bring down dictators and restore borders of the invaded. Here the French are swooping in on semi-allied land while the people who did all the fighting are getting shot by Germans.
 
I read in older threads that Truman was very unhappy with DeGaulle's wanting to annex Aosta and other border bits from Italy.

Well, it seems like you're conflating several different disputes here. Truman may have opposed Italian border annexations, but his Administration endorsed the Saar protectorate. As a result, the feasibility of different annexations seems like it'd depend on different PODs.

Also, any of this stuff makes it harder to call out Stalin for his aggrandizement. So that's another reason France's allies wouldn't appreciate this kind of activity.
 
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