The Aborted ICT-CITEC Agreement: Causes of the Failure of Anglo-French Information Technology Cooperation in 1965

Abstract

This article, using French information technology archives, is the first to describe attempted Anglo-French cooperation in information technology in 1965. This episode is often overlooked when discussing information technology cooperation cases in European countries. Moreover, the article further explores the main causes of the breakdown of negotiations. The breakdown was due to France's reversal of its position, mainly stemming from three factors: a refusal to develop large computer projects, the pall cast by the ELDO and Concorde affairs and the pursuit of an autonomous information technology industry.