82. Telegram From the Embassy in the United Kingdom to the Department of State0
Secun 2. Department repeat to Murphy in Tomur series.1 After completion of the talks with other British Ministers I called on Macmillan accompanied by Ambassador Whitney. Macmillan appeared quite tired and I was particularly struck by contrast in his attitude toward Common Market as compared to my talk with him about a year ago.2 At [Page 186] that time he had been quite worked up over possibility that Common Market would be a means whereby Germany would be able to outsell Britain in world markets. He had indicated his determination not to let this come to pass. Today he emphasized his belief in the political value of Common Market arrangements as a means of tying Germany in to the rest of Europe. Despite current problems with France he expressed pleasure at her present strength. [2 lines of source text not declassified]
As a result my talks with him and with other Ministers I am convinced that British have made fundamental switch in their policy and now have adopted an attitude toward the Common Market very similar to that which US has held all along, namely, that it is an indispensable method of tying Germany and France together and thus tying Germany into a unified Europe. Macmillan stressed that this political fact was the important thing of the moment and that the economic problems between the Six and the Seven would eventually work themselves out one way or another. In other words whereas British originally tended fear Common Market because they believed it would be dominated and controlled by Germany, they now favor Common Market as useful means of controlling future German Governments. [2 lines of source text not declassified]
Macmillan also said that without the organization of the Seven Britain would not have been able to work politically with the continent. He also said he felt the Seven would operate constructively to influence the Six toward a lower tariff position. I agreed with him on the latter point.
I think visit here has been quite successful in removing misunderstandings of US position on trade matters and has indicated to British the enlarged and continuing interest of the US in European trade policies because of their inevitable and direct effect on US trade.
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, 375.800/12–959. Confidential. Repeated to New Delhi as Tomur 14.↩
- Murphy accompanied President Eisenhower on his 11-nation good will tour December 3–23.↩
- See Document 36.↩