Extract from a letter from Cornelius C. Cremin to Frederick H. Boland (Dublin)
(111/16)

The British Labour Party's statement of policy contained in the pamphlet 'European Unity', issued in London on the 12th instant, has had a bad reception in the press here. It is objected to both on the ground that it indicates that British Socialists are not disposed (are indeed opposed) to advance European unity, and more particularly because of the opposition it records towards the Schuman Plan for the creation of a coal-steel pool. It is, I think, true to say that the great majority of the French people (apart, of course, from the Communists), even though some of them may feel doubts about the practicability of the Schuman Plan, welcome it both as offering some hope of enabling France and Germany to live in future in peace, and also because by putting forward this scheme France has taken the initiative in both the political and the economic spheres. For many people this last consideration is in the short run at least as important as the former. French national pride suffered severely in the war, and since the war when France seemed to be playing a secondary role in big-power politics. The Schuman proposal by bringing France to the front of the stage has made Frenchmen feel that their country may resume what they regard as her rightful place in the front ranks of the leading powers. All this means that even those Frenchmen who may be sceptical about the practicability of the proposal, hoped that their fears would be belied and that the conditions which they regard as essential for its realization would be fulfilled. This applies particularly to the Socialists who from the beginning had urged that Britain must be associated with the project from the outset.

The Labour Party attitude is the more disappointing to the Government as Monsieur Schuman had announced last Friday that he had 'good news' from London. This was generally interpreted to mean that the British authorities in their contacts with the French showed themselves benevolent towards the idea and in particular had given the French Government to understand that they did not propose to put forward counter-proposals as had at one time been rumoured. Monsieur Schuman's 'good news' was therefore of a rather negative kind. There is clearly, however, a considerable distance between even a negative attitude of benevolence which, at least, leaves the future open, and the rather uncompromising attitude of the Labour Party set out in 'European Unity'.

[matter omitted]