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This article is written from a historical and political perspective in order to demystify the often caricatural representation of the demonstrations of friendship between the French and Germans. As the divergences that opposed them during the “Pleven Plan” show, this discourse no longer withstands close scrutiny. While Chancellor Konrad Adenauer saw the European Defence Community project as a unique opportunity to put the Federal Republic of Germany on an equal footing with its Western European partners, Pierre Mendès France did not like it. In his opinion, the EDC was perfectly in line with West Germany’s European and American vision. Perceived in Bonn as the “gravedigger of the EDC,” Mendès France did not appreciate the pressure that his counterpart had exerted to have this text adopted by the French National Assembly. However, in 1957 it was Germany that found itself in a position of strength against France.