ABSTRACT
The tabling of our proposals changed the basis of later discussion of this subject. Our proposals were nowhere well received. We had not expected that they would be; but the generally critical and even hostile character of the reaction they provoked was, I think, somewhat worse than we had foreseen. In a Press conference on 21 January, 1971, M. Pompidou was asked by The Times correspondent in Paris whether he thought the negotiations had got off to a good start and in particular what he thought about British proposals on Community finance. He replied: 'We have often had occasion to say that France wanted, and believed in, Britain's entry into the Common Market. That is still my position, but of course it depends in the first place on the British. One must admit that the British have three qualities amongst others: humour, tenacity and realism. I have the feeling that we are still slightly in the humorous stage.' We for our part were convinced that our proposals were serious and reasonable, and that we must stick to them. In a minute of 21 December, 1970, to Mr. Rippon I wrote: 'I am sure we must not be daunted by the cries of indignation which arose in Community quarters when our finance proposals were unveiled ... I do not myself think it would much matter if we were still standing pat on these proposals by next April.'
