Charles de Gaulle's complex relationship with the United States was rooted more in a desire for French strategic independence and "grandeur" than a simple dislike of the American people. During World War II, de Gaulle felt marginalized by Franklin D. Roosevelt, who initially doubted de Gaulle's legitimacy as the leader of the Free French. This fostered a deep-seated suspicion of "Anglo-Saxon" hegemony. During the Cold War, de Gaulle feared that the U.S. and the Soviet Union would decide Europe's fate over the heads of Europeans. He famously withdrew France from NATO's integrated military command in 1966, believing that France must possess its own nuclear deterrent (the force de frappe) to avoid being a mere satellite of Washington. He also challenged the "exorbitant privilege" of the U.S. dollar, advocating for a return to the gold standard. His actions were driven by the belief that France could only be truly France if it sat at the top table of global diplomacy, unencumbered by the overbearing shadow of an American superpower's military and economic influence.