AP Was There: 1975 summit at French castle plants seed for future G7 club of wealthy nations
From left: Premier Aldo Moro of Italy, Premier Harold Wilson of the Great Britain, President Gerald Ford of the United States, President Valery Giscard d'Estaing of France, Chacellor Helmut Schmidt of West Germany and Premier Takeo Miki of Japan, the six heads of state and government, pose for a group portrait during the Economic and Monetary summit meeting at the Chateau de Rambouillet, West of Paris, Nov. 17, 1975. Credit: AP/Uncredited
EDITOR’S NOTE: When U.S. President Gerald Ford and leaders of five other leading democracies gathered for talks at a castle outside Paris on Nov. 15, 1975, they planted the seed for what subsequently became the Group of Seven nations.
The initial six industrial powers that huddled at the Château de Rambouillet for three days of brainstorming about fixes for the global economy became the G7 the following year when Canada joined the elite club.
During and after the Cold War, the G7 became a powerful tool of influence, enabling Western allies and Japan to hammer out common positions not only on economic issues but also their foreign policy and security priorities.
The combined economic, industrial, military, and diplomatic strength of G7 nations ensures the summits they hold annually, rotating hosting duties, are always major news events.
The next G7 summit is in France next week.
As part of its coverage, The Associated Press is republishing extracts of the story that AP correspondent Arthur L. Gavshon wrote on the first day of the inaugural summit in 1975, hosted by French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and also including the leaders of West Germany, the U.K., Italy and Japan, as well as Ford.
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