The follow-up to and the consequences of the Hague Congress
The follow-up to and the consequences of the Hague Congress
The follow-up to the Hague Congress
Letter of thanks from Joseph Retinger to Winston Churchill (8 June 1948)
TextOn 8 June 1948, Joseph Retinger, Secretary-General of the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity, sends to Winston Churchill, former British Prime Minister and Conservative MP, a letter to thank him for his role as Honorary Chairman at the Congress of Europe held in The Hague one month earlier.
Letter of thanks from Joseph Retinger to Paul Ramadier (London, 14 June 1948)
TextOn 14 June 1948, Joseph Retinger, Secretary-General of the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity, sends to Paul Ramadier, French Socialist MP and former Prime Minister, a letter of thanks for his work as Chairman of the Political Committee at the Congress of Europe in The Hague.
Note on the distribution of the resolutions adopted at the Hague Congress (28 June 1948)
TextOn 28 June 1948, the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity sends to the national committees of the future European Movement a note informing them of the conditions for the distribution of the resolutions adopted at the Congress of Europe in The Hague.
‘Walter Maguire: US aid to Europe’ from Cahiers du Monde Nouveau (June–July 1948)
TextIn June 1948, the lawyer Walter Maguire, US observer at the Congress of Europe in The Hague, underlines the interest taken by the United States in the process of European unification and emphasises the cooperation required between a united Europe and America.
‘Grégoire Gafenco: No united Europe without the countries of Eastern Europe’ from Cahiers du Monde Nouveau (June–July 1948)
TextIn June 1948, Grégoire Gafenco, former Romanian Foreign Minister, gives a powerful account of the demands of European unity and emphasises the need to involve the countries of Eastern Europe.
Stance taken by the Nouvelles équipes internationales on the outcome of the Hague Congress (September 1948)
TextOn 17, 18 and 19 September 1948, following their Congress in The Hague, the Nouvelles Équipes Internationales (NEI) recognise the progress made by the European idea since the Congress of Europe in The Hague and adopt a series of resolutions which set the objectives for a united Europe.
Note from André Noël on the Congress of Puteaux (June 1948)
TextIn June 1948, André Noël, MP for the the Popular Republican Movement (MRP) and member of the French federalist parliamentary group which took part in the work of the Political Committee at the Congress of Europe in The Hague, drafts a note in which he outlines the political scope of the Congress of the Peoples of Europe, Asia and Africa held in Puteaux from 18 to 22 June by the Movement for the Socialist United States of Europe.
Account by Denis de Rougemont of the Hague Congress (1948)
TextIn 1948, Denis de Rougemont, general delegate of the Union of European Federalists (UEF), describes the doctrinal tensions which arose at the Congress of Europe in The Hague and places particular emphasis on the importance of the federal approach in the building of a united Europe.
Form from the French Liaison Committee of the Movements for European Unity (10 June 1948)
TextOn 10 June 1948, keen to speed up the implementation of the resolutions adopted following the Congress of Europe in The Hague, the French Liaison Committee of the Movements for European Unity sends a form to all its activists inviting them to take part in the work of its specialist committees.
‘Letter from a European volunteer’ from the Journal de Genève (4 October 1950)
TextOn 4 October 1950, the Swiss daily newspaper Journal de Genève publishes an article by Robert Métraux who gives a passionate account of his European commitment and describes his contribution, together with other young French people, to efforts to promote the establishment of a united Europe.
Reactions in Germany
‘The proclamation of Europe’ from the Rheinischer Merkur (11 May 1948)
TextOn 11 May 1948, the German weekly publication Rheinischer Merkur welcomes the success of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and emphasises the main implications for a united Europe and for the future of Germany.
‘Congress of goodwill’ from Die Zeit (20 May 1948)
TextOn 20 May 1948, the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit highlights the hope generated by the Congress of Europe in The Hague and reflects on the main points of discussion.
Report by Konrad Adenauer on the Hague Congress (Cologne, 21 May 1948)
TextOn 21 May 1948, Konrad Adenauer, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the British occupation zone in Germany, describes the nature of Germany’s participation in the Congress of Europe in The Hague and explains the importance of federalist ideas for the future of European integration.
‘The peoples are calling for Europe’ from Die Welt (22 May 1948)
TextOn 22 May 1948, reporting on the work of the Congress of Europe in The Hague, the German daily newspaper Die Welt calls for the general public to be mobilised in support of a united Europe and emphasises the need for Germany’s European commitment.
Cartoon by Lang on the difficulties involved in the plan for a united Europe (22 May 1948)
Image‘For a strong Europe — Uncle Sam: “But with this Germany dying of hunger, you’ll never make it …”’ On 22 May 1948, referring to the Congress of Europe in The Hague and to the Soviet threat, the German cartoonist, Ernst Maria Lang, illustrates the questions that the the plan for a united Europe poses in America, particularly given the economic situation in Germany.
‘Eugen Kogon: The Congress of Europe in The Hague’ from the Frankfurter Hefte (June 1948)
TextIn June 1948, Eugen Kogon, European federalist and founder of the German journal Frankfurter Hefte, considers the organisation of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and recalls its main achievements.
Reactions in France
‘The Hague Congress’ from L’Aurore (12 May 1948)
TextOn 12 May 1948, Paul Bastid, Paris MP, former Minister and Director of the daily newspaper L’Aurore, identifies the issues involved in the Congress of Europe in The Hague and affirms, in particular, the importance of involving the general public in the plan for a united Europe.
‘Results and perspectives’ from Le Monde (14 May 1948)
TextOn 14 May 1948, in an article in the French daily newspaper Le Monde, René Courtin, Delegate-General of the French Council for a United Europe, considers the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and refers to the nature of the debates.
‘After The Hague’ from La République Moderne (May 1948)
TextIn May 1948, the French bi-monthly journal La République Moderne, official mouthpiece of the Cercles Socialistes, Fédéralistes et Communautaires (Socialist, Federalist and Communitarian Circles), publishes an initial report of the Congress of Europe held in The Hague and sees it as a first step towards a European Federation.
Brochure published by the French Liaison Committee of the Movements for European Unity concerning the Hague Congress (1948)
TextIn 1948, the French Liaison Committee of the Movements for European Unity publishes a brochure which places particular emphasis on the objectives of the Congress of Europe held in The Hague, the nature of its resolutions and the action on the Congress that pro-European movements are striving to ensure is taken in France.
‘A seed has been sown in The Hague’ from Le Figaro (20 May 1948)
TextOn 20 May 1948, in an article in the French daily newspaper Le Figaro, André François-Poncet, Diplomatic Adviser in the French Government for German Affairs, Special Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief in Germany and Member of the French delegation to the Congress of Europe in The Hague, welcomes the success of the event and expresses his determination to see the establishment of a European federation.
Minutes of the meeting of the French delegates who attended the Hague Congress (Paris, 21 May 1948)
TextOn 21 May 1948, in Paris, the French Liaison Committee of the Movements for European Unity convenes the French delegates who attended the Congress of Europe in The Hague and establishes guidelines for the future action to be taken in support of European unity and for the implementation of the resolutions adopted 10 days earlier in The Hague.
‘From The Hague to Puteaux’ from L’Aveyron libre (29 May 1948)
TextOn 29 May 1948, Marceau Pivert, Secretary of the Federation of the Seine within the French Section of the Workers’ International (SFIO) and leader of the Movement for the Socialist United States of Europe (MEUSE), sets out the objectives of the Congress of the Peoples of Europe, Asia and Africa held by the MEUSE in Puteaux from 18 to 22 June.
‘Federalists and Europe’, from La République Moderne (June 1948)
TextIn June 1948, commenting on the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague, the French twice-monthly publication La République Moderne, mouthpiece of the Socialist, Federalist and Communitarian Circles, speculates on the role of the federalist movements in European integration.
Reactions in France
‘Bertrand de Jouvenel: At the Congress of Europe’ from the Revue de Paris (June 1948)
TextIn June 1948, in an article in the Revue de Paris, French writer and journalist Bertrand de Jouvenel speculates on the evolution of the concept of a united Europe and emphasises the limited progress made at the Hague Congress.
‘The birth of Europe’ from L’Aube (22 June 1948)
TextOn 22 June 1948, in an article in the Paris daily newspaper L’Aube, Georges Le Brun Kéris, member of the Assembly of the French Union and of the Nouvelles Équipes Internationales (New International Teams — NEI), welcomes the successful outcome of the Congress of Europe held the previous month in The Hague which, to his mind, consolidates the European integration efforts that have already led to the establishment of the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) and the signing of the Brussels Treaty.
‘How will Europe be built and who will build it?’ from La République Moderne (July 1948)
TextIn July 1948, the French twice-monthly publication La République Moderne, mouthpiece of the Socialist, Federalist and Communitarian Circles, publishes an article by the journalist André Gautier-Walter which gives details of the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and emphasises the importance of the establishment of a united Europe based on the principles of federalist socialism.
‘European union seen from London' from Le Monde (10 September 1948)
TextOn 10 September 1948, Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, foreign policy correspondent for the French daily newspaper Le Monde, outlines the economic and political grounds for the British resistance to European unity.
‘What kind of Europe?’ from Esprit (November 1948)
TextIn November 1948, French essayist Jean-Marie Domenach, Editorial Secretary of the personalist journal Esprit, strongly criticises the lack of unity and heterogeneity of the movements which claim to be federalist and places particular emphasis on the links that some anti-Communist and pro-European federalists have with representatives of US capitalism.
Cover of a French work on the importance of a united Europe (1948)
TextIn 1948, a number of federalist works, including the book by Pierre Boulangier, an activist of the League for the Peace Crusade, call for the establishment of a united Western Europe
Reactions in Benelux
‘Two trends at the Congress for a United Europe: that of the realists and that of the sentimentalists’ from La Dernière Heure (12 May 1948)
TextOn 12 May 1948, the Belgian daily newspaper La Dernière Heure describes the atmosphere of the Congress of Europe in The Hague. The journalist places particular emphasis on the debates surrounding the European Assembly and the issue of Germany, and notes that the opinion of the ‘realists’, who place a higher value on state sovereignty, prevailed over the ‘sentimentalists’.
‘First impressions of the Congress of Europe’ from Les Dossiers de l’Action Sociale Catholique (May 1948)
TextIn May 1948, in an article in the monthly journal Les Dossiers de l’Action Sociale Catholique published in Brussels by the Christian Workers’ Movement (MOC), the Reverend Antoine Verleye gives an account of the work of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and considers possible action to be taken following the Congress.
‘The Congress of Europe’ from the Revue Générale Belge (May 1948)
TextIn May 1948, in an article published in the Revue Générale Belge, Louis Camu, Director at the Bank of Brussels and Vice-President of the European League for Economic Cooperation (ELEC), reports on the ideas exchanged by the various parties at the Congress of Europe in The Hague and hopes to see the resolutions adopted in The Hague turned into tangible realities.
Front page of the Belgian journal Temps nouveaux on the Congress of Europe in The Hague (13 May 1948)
TextOn 13 May 1948, the Belgian weekly publication Temps nouveaux, mouthpiece of the Social Christian Party, leads with the Congress of Europe in The Hague and publishes an article by Senator Étienne de la Vallée Poussin, who attended this demonstration of political activism.
‘The Grand Design’ from Agir et Réagir (15 May 1948)
TextOn 15 May 1948, the Brussels twice monthly publication Agir et Réagir deplores the lack of a shared vision among the people of Europe with regard to the future and unity of the continent.
Dutch cartoon on the process of European unity (15 May 1948)
Image‘Together it will be fine’. On 15 May 1948, taking inspiration from the myth of the conquest of the West, the left-wing magazine Vrij Nederland illustrates the efforts made by the key figures at the Congress of Europe in The Hague for the rapid establishment of a united Europe.
‘Strength and weakness of the European myth’ from Le Phare Dimanche (16 May 1948)
TextOn 16 May 1948, the Brussels weekly publication Le Phare Dimanche gives a critical assessment of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and particularly deplores the lack of unity among the participants at the Congress, fearing that their talents have been wasted.
‘After The Hague. Urgent action’ from Les Cahiers Socialistes (June 1948)
TextIn June 1948, commenting on the debates held during the Congress of Europe in The Hague, the Belgian Socialist activist Raymond Rifflet supports a gathering of the people and of the Socialist and trade union groups in order to build a united Europe quite different from the one championed by conservative forces.
‘The “unification” of Europe’ from the Zeidong vum Lëtzebuerger Arbechter-Verband (12 June 1948)
TextOn 12 June 1948, the newspaper of the Luxembourg workers’ union, Zeidong vum Lëtzebuerger Arbechter-Verband, publishes a Swiss comment on the efforts being made for the unification of Europe and on the Congress of Europe in The Hague. The author criticises the outcome of the Congress and doubts that the establishment of a European bloc to counter the United States and the Soviet Union will make an effective contribution to guaranteeing world peace.
‘The truth about the Hague Congress’ from La Relève (22 May 1948)
TextOn 22 May 1948, the Brussels Christian Socialist daily newspaper La Relève outlines the influence of certain ideological groups and sectoral interests in the organisation of the Congress of Europe in The Hague.
‘After the Hague Congress’ from La Wallonie (10–11 July 1948)
TextOn 10 and 11 July 1948, in the Liège daily newspaper La Wallonie, Jean Drapier, Principal Private Secretary of Paul-Henri Spaak, Belgian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, reports on the Congress of Europe held in May in The Hague. Referring to the tensions in The Hague between British Labour and Conservative politicians, he also outlines the role to be played by socialist activists and trade unionists in the building of a united Europe.
Reactions in Italy
‘The myth of Europe versus the myth of Communism is born’ from Il nuovo Corriere della Sera (11 May 1948)
TextOn 11 May 1948, the Italian daily newspaper Il nuovo Corriere della Sera gives an initial assessment of the Congress of Europe in The Hague, focusing particularly on the debates surrounding the plan for a European Assembly and the major European rally held on 9 May in Amsterdam.
‘The concluding motion of The Hague — an attack on European workers’ from L’Unità (11 May 1948)
TextOn 11 May 1948, the Italian Communist daily newspaper L’Unità deplores the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague in which it sees an attempt by capitalist forces to oppose the establishment of socialism and the improvement of conditions for European workers.
‘Prospects of the Congress of Europe’ from L’Osservatore Romano (13 May 1948)
TextOn 13 May 1948, the Italian daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, published by the Vatican Information Service, comments on the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and emphasises the numerous political, economic and international issues involved in the process of European unification.
‘The “Congress of Churchill” and European prospects’ from Il nuovo Corriere della Sera (21 May 1948)
TextOn 21 May 1948, the Italian daily newspaper Il nuovo Corriere della Sera gives a rather critical assessment of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and emphasises its main weaknesses.
Reactions in the United Kingdom
Cartoon by Illingworth on Winston Churchill’s efforts in promoting European unity (11 May 1948)
ImageOn 11 May 1948, commenting on the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague, Leslie Gilbert Illingworth, British cartoonist, illustrates the importance of the role played by the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, as he bears the torch of the European ideal across a continent devastated by the war.
Cartoon by Shepard on the European commitment of Winston Churchill (12 May 1948)
ImageOn 12 May 1948, the day after the Congress of Europe held in The Hague, Ernest Howard Shepard, British cartoonist, portrays the action taken by the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, in favour of a united Europe.
Memorandum by Duncan Sandys on the Hague Congress (1948)
TextIn summer 1948, Duncan Sandys, British Conservative MP and President of the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity, gives an initial assessment of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and identifies the areas which are not entirely satisfactory.
Cartoon by Low on a united Europe (12 May 1948)
ImageOn 12 May 1948, in the British daily newspaper Evening Standard, cartoonist David Low comments on the outcome of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and emphasises the determination of both left- and right-wing political parties in Britain to join forces in order to play a leading role in the future of a united Europe.
Reactions in the United Kingdom
'The Congress of Europe' from The Manchester Guardian (17 May 1948)
TextOn 17 May 1948, the independent British MP, Arthur Salter, who attended the Congress of Europe in The Hague as a member of the Economic and Social Committee, gives a positive assessment of the Congress but emphasises that practical steps still need to be taken.
Note from Ronald W. G. Mackay on a meeting of the British delegation to The Hague held in the House of Commons (2 June 1948)
TextOn 2 June 1948, Ronald W. G. Mackay, British Conservative MP, convenes to the House of Commons the members of the British delegation to the Congress of Europe held in The Hague in May. His purpose is to examine the conditions for the implementation of the resolutions adopted at the Congress and the tasks of the International Committee of the Movements for European Unity.
Labour Party study on a united Europe (September 1948)
TextIn September 1948, some months after the Congress of Europe in The Hague, the British Labour Party publishes a brochure which provides a detailed analysis of the issues involved in the establishment of a united Europe.
Cover of a British work on the implications of the Congress of Europe in The Hague (1949)
TextCover of a booklet published in 1949 — illustrated with the flag of the European Movement — on the implications of the Congress of Europe in The Hague and the role played during the Congress by the former British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.