This book is the first to concentrate on the British attempt to place the EEC within a larger Free Trade Area. It is also the first to use recently released records to examine the Foreign Office's Grand Design for political co-operation in Europe. Its main focus is Anglo-European diplomacy, yet it deals with wider international relations and the Cold War. The book therefore extends the debate by presenting a full historical analysis of Britain's response to the creation of the European Community.

List of Tables General Editor's Preface Acknowledgements List of Abbreviations Introduction PART I: FROM COUNTER-INITIATIVE TO FREE TRADE AREA, JUNE 1955 TO DECEMBER 1956 Malicious Conception: The Counter-Initiative, June-December 1955 Fresh Impetus: Formulating Plan G, January-May 1956 Deliberation, Delay, Decision, June-December 1956 PART II: WAITING GAME, JANUARY TO OCTOBER 1957 Perfidious Albion?, January-May 1957 Philosophies Apart, June-October 1957 PART III: THE MAUDLING COMMITTEE NEGOTIATIONS, OCTOBER 1957 TO DECEMBER 1958 The Negotiations Begin, October-December 1957 Impending Crisis, January-May 1958 The Demise of the Free Trade Area, June-December 1958 Conclusion: Threatening Europe Notes Bibliography Index