On 24 February 1965, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro depicts General de Gaulle as the leader of Europe, showing scant enthusiasm towards the British delegation who have come to negotiate the conditions for the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities.

In March 1966, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit summarises the steps taken by the United Kingdom with a view to its possible accession to the European Communities.

On 6 May 1966, the tenth congress of the Socialist International is held in Stockholm. On that occasion, George Brown, British Minister for Economic Affairs, delivers a speech in which he describes the conditions which must be fulfilled so that the United Kingdom might join the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 15 October 1966, Edward Heath, leader of the British Conservative Party, delivers a speech to Conservative Party members at a meeting held in Blackpool. He emphasises the importance of membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) for the United Kingdom.

In 1967, as the United Kingdom submits its second application for accession to the European Economic Community (EEC), French President Charles de Gaulle represents the main obstacle for British Prime Minister Harold Wilson to overcome, despite the help of the other European countries.

On 23 January 1967, speaking from the platform of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, argues the case for the United Kingdom’s application for accession to the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 23 January 1967 the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, during a visit to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, replies to questions posed to him regarding the United Kingdom’s integration within the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 25 January 1967, in his comments on the meeting which took place the previous day in Paris between the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, and the French President, Charles de Gaulle, the French Foreign Minister, Maurice Couve de Murville, gives his impressions of the Franco–British exchange of views on the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities.

After the meeting between British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, and French President, Charles de Gaulle, on 25 January 1967 in Paris, the French Foreign Minister, Maurice Couve de Murville, sets out in a telegram to the French Permanent Representation in Brussels what the two governments discussed concerning the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities.

On 25 January 1967, Albert Borschette, Permanent Representative to the European Communities, sends to Pierre Grégoire, Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, a letter in which he analyses the statements made by the British Government concerning that country’s possible accession to the European Communities.

‘On the road towards the EEC’, the French president, Charles de Gaulle, represents the biggest and most difficult obstacle to overcome for the British prime minister, Harold Wilson.

On 26 January 1967, the cartoonist from the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung criticises the accession conditions imposed by General de Gaulle on British participation in the European common market.

‘… magnificent nature … Cap Gris Nez ("Cape Grey Nose").' On 28 November 1967, for Opland, Dutch cartoonist, the hopes of Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister, to see the United Kingdom join the Common Market are dashed against the ‘de Gaulle head'.

On 30 January 1967, in the Brussels daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, Paul Struye, Belgian Senator, analyses the significance of the address delivered by Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister, to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and outlines the obstacles that need to be overcome if the United Kingdom is to be able to accede to the European Communities.

On 30 March 1967, the Belgian Foreign Minister writes a report on the visits made by the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, and his Foreign Secretary, George Brown, to the European capital cities in order to argue for the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Economic Community.

On 3 May 1967, the Belgian daily newspaper Le Soir outlines the arguments in favour of the accession, albeit with certain preconditions, of the United Kingdom to the European Communities.

On 5 May 1967, commenting on the ongoing accession negotiations between the United Kingdom and the Common Market, the Milanese newspaper Corriere della Sera analyses the difficulties inherent in adapting British agriculture to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

On 16 May 1967, in the Brussels daily newspaper La Libre Belgique, Paul Struye, Belgian Senator, supports the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities, despite the difficulties that this would pose, as long as genuine political will is demonstrated by all those involved.

On 18 May 1967, the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung criticises the decision taken by General de Gaulle, who, the previous day, had again declared his opposition to the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities.

On 19 May 1967, dismissing the arguments put forward by the French President, General de Gaulle, three days earlier at a press conference in Paris, Le monde du travail, published by the Liège Province Federation of the Belgian Socialist Party (PSB), argues in favour of the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities.

On 30 May 1967, commenting in the Brussels daily newspaper Le Soir on the possible accession of the United Kingdom to the European Communities, Marcel Grégoire, former Belgian Minister for Justice, emphasises the need for the Six to define together the objectives of European economic and political integration.

On 29 June 1967, the Brussels daily newspaper La Libre Belgique expresses its doubts about the United Kingdom being able to accede to the European Communities on a fair and balanced basis.

On 30 September 1967, following the United Kingdom’s second application for accession to the European Communities, the Editorial Committee of the Dutch European Movement’s journal Nieuw Europa issues a plea to the French Government to aid the smooth opening and conclusion of the accession negotiations.

On 9 October 1967, in a speech to the Association of European Journalists in Brussels, Lord Chalfont, the British Foreign Minister, defends the United Kingdom's application for accession to the European Common Market.

On 25 October 1967, the day after the Council of Ministers meeting, Rolf Lahr, State Secretary in the German Foreign Ministry, notes France’s hostile attitude towards the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities.

On 25 October 1967, in Luxembourg, the Six open negotiations on the United Kingdom's second application for accession to the European Communities. Joseph Luns, Dutch Foreign Minister, pays close attention to reaction in the British press.

‘Consolation’ – Kiesinger: ‘Hang on in there, Wilson! Let me play you a little tune while you’re waiting…’ On 28 October 1967, the German cartoonist Ernst Maria Lang illustrates the difficulties that the British Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, faces as he tries to ensure the success of United Kingdom’s second application for accession to the European Communities. Despite having the support of the German Chancellor, Kurt Georg Kiesinger, Harold Wilson still faces the inflexibility of the French President, Charles de Gaulle.

On 27 November 1967, General de Gaulle, President of the French Republic, holds a press conference at the Élysée Palace in which he renews and explains his opposition to the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities.

On 27 November 1967, General de Gaulle holds a press conference at the Élysée Palace during which he restates and explains his opposition to the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Common Market.

On 29 November 1967, commenting on the veto on British accession repeated two days earlier by General de Gaulle during a press conference in Paris, Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister refutes each of the arguments put forward by opponents of the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities.

‘Harold Wilson’s nightmare.’ In 1968, the cartoonist Fritz Behrendt describes British Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s nightmare when, like his counterpart Harold Macmillan in 1963, he comes up against General de Gaulle’s veto on British accession to the European Communities.

‘Oh well — back to the compass.’ On 27 November 1967, General de Gaulle uses his veto to oppose the United Kingdom's accession to the European common market. For George Brown, British Foreign Minister, and for Harold Wilson, British Prime Minister, the road to unified Europe seems to be blocked off.

In November 1967, the Netherlands Government strongly criticises the French decision to prevent negotiations for the United Kingdom’s accession from going ahead and calls on other European countries to support the British application.

On 29 November 1967, the day of the French President Charles de Gaulle’s second veto, Rolf Lahr, State Secretary in the German Foreign Ministry, sets out the Federal Republic of Germany’s position on the enlargement of the European Communities.

On 30 November 1967, the French daily newspaper Le Monde reviews the reactions of the various political groups of the European Parliament to the press conference held by General de Gaulle.

On 30 November 1967, the German daily newspaper Handelsblatt criticises the stance adopted by France in opposition to the accession of the United Kingdom to the European Economic Community (EEC).

On 1 December 1967, the German daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung deplores the attitude of General de Gaulle, who, on 27 November 1967, again opposed the accession of the United Kingdom to the European common market.

On 21 December 1967, the Milanese daily newspaper Corriere della Sera deplores General de Gaulle’s decision to oppose the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Economic Community (EEC).

In this interview, Georges Berthoin, Head of the Delegation of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and subsequently Head of the Delegation of the Commission of the European Communities in the United Kingdom until 1973, describes the state of relations between General de Gaulle and the leaders of the United Kingdom as France twice rejected, in 1963 and 1967, the opening of negotiations for the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities.

On 8 December 1967, the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera publishes the remarks made by the Italian Foreign Minister, Amintore Fanfani, who is in favour of the United Kingdom's accession to the European Common Market.

On 15 December 1967, in a memorandum addressed to the Luxembourg Government, the British Government emphasises the importance of the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Communities.

On 16 December 1967, an internal memorandum from the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry outlines the details of an interview with the French Chargé d’Affaires regarding the consequences of France’s refusal to allow the United Kingdom’s accession to the Common Market.

On 16 December 1967, the French daily newspaper Le Monde outlines the attitude of the British Government in the face of France’s refusal to accept the United Kingdom’s accession to the Common Market.

On 18 December 1967, faced with the French Government’s refusal to allow the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Economic Community, the French daily newspaper Le Figaro considers the decision taken by the Council of Ministers of the Six on the opening of accession negotiations with the United Kingdom.

On 19 December 1967, following the meeting of the Six in Brussels, the Council of the European Communities issues a communiqué reporting on the Council’s failure to reach agreement on the continuation of the accession negotiations.

Le 19 décembre 1967, l'issue de la réunion des Six à Bruxelles, Maurice Couve de Murville, ministre français des Affaires étrangères, explique les raisons de l'échec des Six pour trouver un accord qui permettrait de reprendre les négociations avec le Royaume-Uni.

Le 19 décembre 1967, le ministère des Affaires étrangères du Royaume-Uni publie un communiqué en réaction au veto du général de Gaulle à l'adhésion britannique au Marché commun européen.

On 20 December 1967, the day following the meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Six, Lord George Brown, British Foreign Secretary, informs the House of Commons of the action to be taken by the Government.

On 20 December 1967, the European Commission calls on the Six to reach agreement on the continuation of the negotiations for the United Kingdom’s accession to the EEC following the disagreement that occurred the previous day in the Council.

On 25 December 1967, the French weekly magazine L’Express analyses reactions to France’s opposition to British accession to the EEC, a position that it restated at the meeting of the Council held on 19 December.

‘EEC — the eye of the needle’. In 1968, the Austrian cartoonist, Ironimus, illustrates the efforts of Willy Brandt, Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), to bring the United Kingdom’s application for accession to the European Communities to a successful conclusion, despite the opposition of General de Gaulle.

In June 1968, following French President Charles de Gaulle’s second veto of the United Kingdom’s accession to the European Common Market on 27 November 1967, the monthly journal of the Dutch European Movement Nieuw Europa publishes various opinions on the position which the Dutch Government should adopt.

On 15 January 1968, the three Benelux foreign ministers meet in Val Duchesse and publish a joint memorandum that recommends the establishment of institutional consultations between the EEC and the candidate countries to associate them with the development of the Community. The photo shows, from left to right: Luxembourg Foreign Minister Pierre Grégoire, Belgian Minister for European Affairs and Flemish Culture Renaat Elslande, Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns and Belgian Foreign Minister Pierre Harmel.

On 17 January 1968, Pierre Harmel, Belgian Foreign Minister, outlines before the Belgian Senate the stance taken by the Belgian Government on the French veto of 19 December 1967 and emphasises the importance of the enlargement process of the European Community.

Le 16 février 1968, les gouvernements de la France et de la République fédérale d'Allemagne (RFA) adoptent une déclaration commune dans laquelle ils proposent la conclusion d'arrangements économiques entre la Communauté économique européenne et les pays candidats à l'adhésion en attendant que l'élargissement devienne possible.

Le 16 février 1968, à l'issue des entretiens franco-allemands, Maurice Couve de Murville, ministre français des Affaires étrangères, commente les décisions adoptées par les deux gouvernements en ce qui concerne le problème de la candidature britannique à la Communauté économique européenne (CEE).

Le 29 février 1968, à l'issue d'une réunion du Conseil des Communautés européennes tenue sous sa présidence, le ministre français des Affaires étrangères Maurice Couve de Murville, répond aux questions des journalistes relatives aux propositions faites par les États membres en vue de reprendre les négociations d'adhésion avec le Royaume-Uni.

Pierre Harmel (right), Belgian Foreign Minister, talking with his Luxembourgish counterpart, Pierre Grégoire.

On 3 May 1968, Sir Geoffrey De Freitas, British Member of Parliament and President of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, raises the European Flag in front of the Parliament buildings at Westminster, to demonstrate his devotion to the European cause in spite of General de Gaulle's second veto, on 27 November 1967, of the United Kingdom's application for accession to the European Communities.