---
born: 1907-01-11
category: Nuclear Scientists & Programs
died: 1982-10-18
location: Paris, France
summary: Pierre Mendès-France was a French politician who served as Prime Minister
  of France from 1954 to 1955.
tags:
- Person
- Nuclear
- Israel
---

Pierre Mendès-France was a French politician who served as Prime Minister of [France](/places/france/) from 1954 to 1955. In late 1954, his coalition government granted authority for a nuclear weapons planning group to be formed inside the French Atomic Energy Commission, bringing senior officials of the ministry of defense into nuclear planning for the first time.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 3.