The Washington Treaty had created the first military and political alliance that bridged across the Atlantic and brought together Western Europe and North America. To be able to protect its members, NATO needed a military headquarters, and fast. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, SHAPE, was established in the early 1950s. SHAPE was the first and only allied military headquarters to be established in peacetime. In this episode, we will discuss the first command and control structure, key strategic ideas like massive nuclear retaliation and the role of General Dwight D. Eisenhower – the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe – in laying the foundation of SHAPE.