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.

JAMES ELLISON is a lecturer in the Department of History, Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. He is currently continuing his research on British foreign policy, particularly in relation to European integration.

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