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Melissa Pine
atmosphere. Soames added, however, that ‘the French government [were] not
telling the truth and they know it’. 77
Mending fences
Following Soames’ advice, Stewart informed Debré that the British government
had had no intention of misrepresenting de Gaulle’s views, and indeed, had not. He
was willing to show Debré HMG’s instructions to ambassadors. He again accepted
the invitation to bilateral talks, saying that he knew that
‘we start with serious differences between us but I do not see why we should not
come, together with our partners, to a common view on the structure, purpose, and
future of Europe’. 78
He resisted domestic attempts to get him to associate himself with more critical
remarks about de Gaulle, and repeatedly expressed British willingness to talk to the
French. 79 This conciliatory attitude may have had some effect: when FCO minister
Lord Alun Chalfont met ambassador Geoffroy de Courcel the latter spoke of
‘genuine and serious misunderstanding’ rather than anything malicious. De
Courcel said that Wilson’s actions in informing others of the talks without warning
the French, and the British leaks to the press were the cause of French anger. When
Chalfont pointed out that the first leaks had appeared in Le Figaro, de Courcel said
he could only assume that they had come from WEU, ‘a notably incontinent
organisation’. It would be difficult to retrieve the situation, but he hoped that they
would stay closely in touch and that the whole affair would soon be resolved. 80
Indeed, in their relations with the Five, the French played the ‘whole affair down
rather than up’, perhaps in the knowledge that they had not shown themselves to be
very ‘European’ and needed to regain face. 81 Notes exchanged between the British
and French governments indicated that it would take some time to rebuild relations,
but Soames never gave up on the possibility. 82
77. Telegrams, Paris to FCO, 24 February 1969, Nos.195-196 and 199, UKNA/FCO/30/415; No.201,
UKNA/PREM/13/2628.
78. Telegrams, FCO to Paris, 24 February 1969, No.104, UKNA/PREM/13/2628, and No.110,
UKNA/FCO/30/416.
79. Telegram, FCO to Paris, 24 February 1969, No.111, UKNA/FCO/30/416.
80. Minute, Chalfont to Stewart, 24 February 1969, UKNA/FCO/30/416. See also telegram, FCO to
Paris, 28 February 1969, No.121, UKNA/FCO/30/417.
81. Telegram, Paris to FCO, 25 February 1969, No.209, UKNA/FCO/30/416.
82. Telegrams, FCO to Paris, 27 February 1969, No.114; Paris to FCO, 28 February 1969, Nos.217-218
and 1 March 1969, Nos.223-224, all UKNA/PREM/13/2628; letter, Soames to Stewart, 21 March
1969; telegrams, Paris to FCO, 24 March 1969, Nos.312-313, all UKNA/FCO/30/418.