North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
A commemorative postage stamp on the 3rd Anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Alliance :
Issued by United States of America
Issued on Apr 4, 1952
The Historic Stamp :
The 3¢ stamp honors the third anniversary of the founding of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO was formed to provide a unified military command for the defense of 12 Western nations (the number was later increased to 15), including the United States. Article 5 of the treaty provides that an attack on one member will be considered an attack on all members.
The stamp was designed by C. R. Chickering. It shows two hands holding aloft a burning torch. Beneath the torch are the objectives of the organization, the preservation of peace through strength and freedom.
The NATO Stamp was printed in deep violet by steel engraving. The First Day City was Washington, D.C.
Type : Stamp, Postal Used
Denomination : 3 cents
Colour : Deep Violet
The Subject of the Stamp :
- With his European counterparts, United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson negotiated the North Atlantic Treaty that led to NATO. The historic pact broke a long-standing tradition of American diplomacy. It committed the United States, for first time in history, to a peace-time alliance that obligated the nation to fight in Europe, should any member nation there be attacked.
- The forces of NATO are divided into the Atlantic and Channel Commands and the Allied Command in Europe (SACEUR). The first supreme allied commander of SACEUR was General Dwight D. Eisenhower, commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II. Upon assuming his new post, Eisenhower remarked that this was the first time a great allied army had been created “to preserve the peace and not to wage war”.
