Dear Mr. Peeden:
In your very good column of 2/9, your quoting of de Gaulle as asserting that the “U.S. had no friends, only interests” caught my eye, particularly because I had thought the expression originated long ago with Lord Palmerston. I found it somewhat difficult to find a reliable source for the quote. (Mis-attribution, I have found, is very common — beware!). An unreferenced claim that turned up has de Gaulle saying that “France has no interests, &c.” This version sounds more like de Gaulle’s manner of speech to me. However I did find the following, which sounds more reliable, concerning Palmerston’s remarks, on the web site "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friendship" and refers to a record of speech of his to the House of Commons on 3/1/1848 as the source:
“Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
Checking on the web shows that many have used an abridged version of Palmerston’s remarks. The thought came to me that perhaps Palmerston himself was inspired by some earlier writer as well.
Sincerely yours,
Melvin L. Tobias
Graduate Student
mtobias@utk.edu