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European cooperation

Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle are caricatured as ghosts looming over the 1971 summit talks of Edward Heath and Georges Pompidou.

Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle are caricatured as ghosts looming over the 1971 summit talks of Edward Heath and Georges Pompidou.
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The importance of the Commonwealth and Britain's relationship with the US meant it approached supranational European cooperation with caution. Britain attempted to join the European Economic Community (EEC) in the early 1960s but didn't achieve membership until 1973.

Related documents

Military cooperation

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Foreign Policy in Europe. 15 March 1948 (PDF, 1.563 MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 2. Foreign Policy in Europe. 22 April 1948 (PDF, 0.812 MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The First Aim of British Foreign Policy. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 4 January 1948 (PDF, 0.531MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Western Union. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 10 February 1948 (PDF, 1.106MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Five-Power Treaty. Note by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 14 March 1948 (PDF, 0.845MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The Five-Power Treaty. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 20 April 1948 (PDF, 0.574MB)

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Cabinet Memorandum. The European Defence Effort and European Integration Schemes. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 27 July 1951 (PDF, 0.732MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Washington and Ottawa Meetings: Review of British Policy. Memorandum by the Prime Minister. 30 August 1951 (PDF, 2.728MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Bilateral and Tripartite Talks in Washington and Atlantic Council Meeting in Ottawa.22 October 1951 (PDF, 3.272MB)

European Defence Community (EDC)

Cabinet Conclusion 5. European Defence Community. 4 April 1952 (PDF, 1.180MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Defence Community. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 28 March 1952 (PDF, 0.912MB)

Cabinet Conclusions. Foreign Affairs: European Defence Community. 4 December 1952 (PDF, 1.644MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Association of the United Kingdom with the European Defence Community. 29 December 1951 (PDF, 0.327MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Defence Community and Alternative Plans. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 10 December 1952 (PDF, 1.562MB)

Western European Union (WEU)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. European Defence Community. 27 August 1954 (PDF, 1.862MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Alternatives to the European Defence Community. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 27 August 1954 (PDF, 1.464MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Defence: M. Mendes-France and Germany's Entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 28 September 1954 (PDF, 0.383MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. European Defence. 1 October 1954 (PDF, 0.761MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Foreign Affairs: European Defence: Nine-Power Conference. 5 October 1954 (PDF, 1.855 MB)

Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OEEC)

Cabinet Conclusion 3. European Economic Co-operation. 22 April 1948 (PDF, 0.812MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Economic Co-operation. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 6 March 1948 (PDF, 2.099MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The Second Meeting of the Committee of European Economic Co-operation held in Paris from 15th to 18th March. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 1 April 1948 (PDF, 0.847MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Economic Co-operation. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 21 April 1948 (PDF, 0.435MB)

European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC)

Cabinet Memorandum. Organisation of the German Coal, Iron and Steel Industries: the Schumann Plan. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 19 March 1951 (PDF, 0.968MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Schumann Plan. Allied Control of German Heavy Industry. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 13 April 1951 (PDF, 1.748MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Schumann Treaty: Allied Control of German Heavy Industry. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 28 May 1951 (PDF, 2.317MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Schumann Treaty. Note by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 31 May 1951 (PDF, 1.864MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Schumann Treaty. Allied Control of German Heavy Industry. Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. 15 June 1951 (PDF, 0.533MB)

European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Integration. Note by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 29 June 1955 (PDF, 2.512MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Free Trade Area and the Organisation for European Economic Co-operation. Note by the Paymaster-General. 4 October 1957 (PDF, 2.618MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Free Trade Area. Memorandum by the Paymaster-General. 4 October 1957 (PDF, 0.827MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Free Trade Area. Memorandum by the Paymaster-General. 30 January 1958 (PDF, 0.684MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Free Trade Area. Memorandum by the Paymaster-General. 21 March 1958 (PDF, 0.840MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Free Trade Area. Memorandum by the Paymaster-General. 26 March 1958 (PDF, 0.770MB)

European Free Trade Association (EFTA)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Free Trade Area. Note by the Prime Minister. 4 November 1958 (PDF, 0.298MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Draft Convention for the European Free Trade Area. Memorandum by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. 13 November 1959 (PDF, 4.462MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 4. Approach to Europe. 30 November 1967 (PDF, 3.619MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. The Approach to Europe. Memorandum by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary. 16 March 1967 (PDF, 37.976MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Europe: Alternatives to Membership of the European Economic Community. Note by the Secretary of the Cabinet. 14 April 1967 (PDF, 8.703MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 4. European Economic Community. 20 January 1972 (PDF, 1.608MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. European Communities Bill. Memorandum by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. 18 January 1972 (PDF, 6.606MB)

Referendum on EEC Membership. Note by the Prime Minister. 22 January 1975 (PDF, 0.574MB)

Referendum: Draft White Paper. Memorandum by the Lord President of the Council. 17 February 1975 (PDF, 6.542MB)

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Further reading

George, S., Britain and European Integration since 1945 (Oxford and Cambridge: Blackwell, 1991)
Greenwood, S., Britain and European Cooperation since 1945 (Oxford and Cambridge: Blackwell, 1992)

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