Nuclear Weapons/Warheads: France

French nuclear research began before World War II, with nuclear physics already well developed by pioneers such as Pierre and Marie Curie, Frederic Joliot-Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie.

During the war, Gen. Charles de Gaulle was informed by several scientists of the U.S. work on an atomic bomb and the military implications of such a weapon. Following the defeat of Germany, de Gaulle created the Atomic Energy Commissariat (AEC) in August 1945 to oversee French nuclear research. ...