In the United Kingdom
Reactions in the United Kingdom
Reactions in the United Kingdom
Note from Ernest Bevin to the British Ambassador to Paris (9 May 1950)
TextOn 9 May 1950, the British Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, informs the British Ambassador to Paris of the existence of a possible French proposal concerning the creation of a European coal and steel pool.
Record of a meeting at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office: extract on the Schuman Plan (London, 10 May 1950)
TextOn 10 May 1950, at a meeting at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, leading British ministers comment on the declaration made the previous day by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, and criticise the French initiative to create a coal and steel pool in Europe.
Front page of the Daily Herald on the Schuman Plan (10 May 1950)
TextOn 10 May 1950, the British daily newspaper Daily Herald devotes its front page to the declaration made the previous day in Paris by Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, in which he proposed the pooling of coal and steel output in Europe.
Memorandum by Sir I. Kirkpatrick on the political implications of the Schuman Plan (11 May 1950)
TextOn 11 May 1950, Sir Ivone Kirkpatrick, British High Commissioner in Germany, sends a memorandum to the British Foreign Office in which he outlines the political scope of the Schuman Plan.
Internal note from the British authorities on the economic implications of the Schuman Plan (11 May 1950)
TextOn 11 May 1950, various British ministries draft a joint note for the attention of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet in which they analyse the possible economic repercussions of the implementation of the Schuman Plan and outline the origins of the French proposal.
Notes from the British Ministry of Defence on the Schuman Plan (11 May 1950)
TextOn 11 May 1950, the British Ministry of Defence drafts several notes on the strategic implications of the Schuman Plan, particularly in terms of control of the coal and steel industries in Europe and arms production.
Record of conversations between Ernest Bevin, Dean Acheson and Robert Schuman (London, 11 May 1950)
TextOn 11 May 1950, two days after the Schuman Declaration, British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman and US Secretary of State Dean Acheson meet in London, where Ernest Bevin, unhappy at having been presented with a fait accompli, expresses his grievances to his French counterpart.
Statement by Clement Attlee to the House of Commons (11 May 1950)
TextOn 11 May 1950, in a statement to the House of Commons, the British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee, expresses his thoughts on the Schuman Plan and confirms his support for the French proposal.
Clement Attlee
Passport'Problems of a fine initiative' from The Daily Telegraph (12 may 1950)
TextOn 12 May 1950, British newspaper the Daily Telegraph highlights the difficulties involved in the implementation of the Schuman Plan and emphasises the economic and political factors of the French plan.
Cartoon by Low on the Schuman Plan (12 May 1950)
ImageOn 12 May 1950, referring to the Scottish tradition whereby couples go to blacksmiths’ forges in Gretna Green to exchange their wedding vows over the blacksmith’s anvil, the British cartoonist, David Low, illustrates the surprised reaction of Dean Acheson, US Secretary of State, following the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950.
Note from the National Coal Board on the Schuman Plan (London, 17 May 1950)
TextOn 17 May 1950, the National Coal Board, the statutory corporation for the British coal industry, gives its first impressions of the issues surrounding the Schuman Plan and analyses the possible repercussions for the national coal industry.
Cartoon by Low on the United Kingdom’s position with respect to the Schuman Plan (17 May 1950)
ImageOn 17 May 1950, cartoonist Low takes an ironic look at the difficult position of the United Kingdom with respect to the French plan to pool steel and coal production in Western Europe.
Cartoon by Illingworth on the importance of the Schuman Plan (17 May 1950)
ImageOn 17 May 1950, British cartoonist Leslie Gilbert Illingworth illustrates Robert Schuman’s historic proposal to pool coal and steel production in Western Europe and emphasises the importance of Franco-German rapprochement.
Letter from Oliver Harvey to Ernest Bevin (Paris, 19 May 1950)
TextOn 19 May 1950, Oliver Harvey, British Ambassador to Paris, writes to Ernest Bevin, British Foreign Secretary, to outline the possible political consequences of an acceptance or rejection of the Schuman Plan by the United Kingdom.
Note from Roger Makins to Ernest Bevin (19 May 1950)
TextOn 19 May 1950, the English diplomat, Sir Roger Makins, sends a note to Ernest Bevin in which he advises the British Foreign Secretary to adopt a wait-and-see approach to the Schuman Plan.
Ernest Bevin
PassportAddress given by Winston Churchill (Edinburgh, 19 May 1950)
TextOn 19 May 1950, in Edinburgh, Winston Churchill says that he would like to have access to a detailed study of the consequences of any future British participation in the Schuman Plan before expressing a final opinion on the French initiative.
'A chance to seize' from Tribune (19 May 1950)
TextOn 19 May 1950, the British weekly Tribune emphasises the importance of British participation in implementing the European plan for the pooling of coal and steel production in Western Europe.
Note from the Press Service of the British Embassy (The Hague, 20 May 1950)
TextOn 20 May 1950, the Press Service of the British Embassy in The Hague drafts an information note giving details of the situation of the steel and coal sectors in the United Kingdom in the light of the Schuman Plan.
Position of the British Committee of the ELEC on the Schuman Plan (22 May 1950)
TextOn 22 May 1950, in the British daily newspaper The Times, the British Committee of the European League for Economic Cooperation (ELEC) launches an appeal for the United Kingdom’s active involvement in the implementation of the Schuman Plan.
Message from Ernest Bevin to Robert Schuman (25 May 1950)
TextOn 25 May 1950, in connection with the implementation of the Schuman Plan, the British Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, rejects the idea of an international conference and suggests to his French counterpart, Robert Schuman, the opening of direct negotiations between France and Germany in which the United Kingdom might participate.
Memorandum from the French Government to the British Government (25 May 1950)
TextOn 25 May 1950, the French Government invites the United Kingdom to take part in the negotiations for the establishment of a European coal and steel pool.
Message from the British Embassy in Paris to the French Government (26 May 1950)
TextOn 26 May 1950, the British Embassy in Paris sends a message to the French Government describing the United Kingdom’s hesitations with regard to the Schuman Plan.
Reactions in the United Kingdom
Memorandum by the French government to the British government on the Schuman Plan (Paris, 30 May 1950)
TextOn 30 May 1950, in order to dispel any misunderstanding between France and the United Kingdom over the fundamental objectives of the Schuman Plan, the French government sends a memorandum to the British government setting out the main inspiration for the planned coal and steel pool, while emphasising the scope of the proposed bases for negotiation.
'Origins of the Schuman Plan' from The Manchester Guardian (30 May 1950)
TextOn 30 May 1950, in an article in the British daily newspaper The Manchester Guardian, philosopher Raymond Aron considers the origins of the Schuman Plan and speculates on the chances of success of the French initiative.
'Crossed wires' from The Manchester Guardian (30 May 1950)
TextOn 30 May 1950, British daily newspaper The Manchester Guardian reports on the United Kingdom’s position on the Schuman Plan.
Cartoon by Beuth on British hesitations over the Schuman Plan (30 May 1950)
Image‘Bevin: First of all, let’s see what you’re preparing for us!’ On 30 May 1950, the German cartoonist Beuth illustrates the caution of the United Kingdom regarding the Schuman Plan to pool the European production of coal and steel. From left to right: Ernest Bevin, British Foreign Secretary, Konrad Adenauer, Federal Chancellor, and Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister.
Message from Oliver Harvey to Kenneth Younger on the Schuman Plan question (Paris, 31 May 1950)
TextOn 31 May 1950, Oliver Harvey, British Ambassador to Paris, sends a telegram to Kenneth Younger, Minister of State at the Foreign Office, in which he outlines the differing views held by the French government and the British government authorities concerning the plan for a coal and steel pool.
Manifesto by the National Executive Committee of the British Labour Party on European unity (May 1950)
TextIn May 1950, the National Executive Committee of the British Labour Party publishes a manifesto entitled European Unity in which it sets out the official British position on the question of European unity.
Record of a conversation with Ernest Bevin on the Schuman Plan (London, 2 June 1950)
TextOn 2 June 1950, the British Foreign Secretary, Ernest Bevin, hospitalised in the London Clinic, considers with his close colleagues the possibility of the United Kingdom’s non-participation in the negotiations on the implementation of the Schuman Plan.
British communiqué on the Schuman Plan (3 June 1950)
TextOn 3 June 1950, the British Government publishes a communiqué setting out its position on the Schuman Declaration on the pooling of coal and steel output in Western Europe.
Press review by the British Embassy in the Netherlands (3 and 5 June 1950)
TextOn 3 and 5 June 1950, the British Embassy in the Netherlands outlines the United Kingdom’s attitude to the Schuman Plan in a press review.
'One fatal flaw' from The Observer (4 June 1950)
TextOn 4 June 1950, the British Sunday newspaper The Observer publishes an article by ‘a student of Europe’ which identifies the flaws in the Schuman Plan, deploring, in particular, the powers of the future High Authority.
Letter from René Massigli to Robert Schuman (London, 14 June 1950)
TextOn 14 June 1950, René Massigli, French Ambassador to London, writes to Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, to outline the exact position of British Prime Minister Clement Attlee on the plan for a coal and steel pool.
'Britain's Answer to M. Schuman' from The New Statesman and Nation (17 June 1950)
TextOn 17 June 1950, the English weekly magazine The New Statesman and Nation reports on the British position towards the French plan for the pooling of coal and steel production in Western Europe.
‘British Industry and the Schuman Plan’ from The Banker (July 1950)
TextIn July 1950, the British periodical The Banker outlines the scope of the Schuman Plan and describes the likely impact of the plan on the UK’s industrial sector.
Interview by Georges Suffert with Jean Monnet: extract on the United Kingdom’s position regarding the Schuman Plan (10 and 11 May 1970)
TextOn 10 and 11 May, 1970, in an interview granted to journalist Georges Suffert, Jean Monnet, former Commissioner-General at the French National Planning Board, describes the United Kingdom’s reaction to the Schuman Plan.