| Photograph of President Truman signing the document implementing the North Atlantic Treaty at his desk in the Oval Office, as a number of dignitaries look on. Left to right: Sir Frederick Hoyer Millar (June 6, 1900 – October 16, 1989), Charge d’Affaires, United Kingdom; Ambassador Henrik Kauffmann (August 26, 1888 – June 5, 1963) of Denmark; Wilmot Donald Matthews (July 2, 1906 – March 14, 1959), Charge d’Affaires, Canada; United States Secretary of Defense Louis Arthur Johnson (January 10, 1891 – April 29, 1966); Ambassador Wilhelm Munthe de Morgenstierne (November 4, 1887 – July 15, 1963) of Norway; Ambassador Henri Bonnet (May 26, 1888 – October 25, 1978) of France; Ambassador Pedro Theotonio Pereira (November 7, 1902 – November 14, 1972) of Portugal; United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson (April 11, 1893 – October 12, 1971); Jonkheer Otto Reuchlin (April 8, 1902 – January 30, 1966), Charge d’Affaires, the Netherlands; and Mario Luciolli (October 17, 1910 – May 25, 1988), Charge d’Affaires, Italy. Photo by Abbie Rowe (1905-1967). The founding 12 states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom and the United States. All except Portugal, which maintained neutrality, fought with the Allied powers in World War II. Greece and Turkey joined in 1952. West Germany joined in 1955. Spain joined in 1982. Greece fought with the Allies in World War II. Spain and Turkey were neutral. Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined in 1999. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined in 2004. Albania and Croatia joined in 2009. Montenegro joined in 2017. North Macedonia joined in 2020. Finland joined in 2023 and Sweden joined in 2024. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0360.jpg |
| Image Size | 839.73 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2924 x 2371 |
| Photographer | Abbie A. Rowe |
| Photographer Title | National Park Service |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 24, 1949 |
| Location | |
| City | Washington |
| State or Province | District of Columbia |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NLT-AVC-PHT-(73)3193 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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