The Fintncisl Times of 15th of Jans cnrricd 2 long editorial on De Guulle's speoch of the previous dny, it stated: "Genernl doGs lle. like the good poker pleyer that he is, brs lnid out his stakes and begun to reverl his hind. it is not at first sight , 1 comforting ono for tho British. T olking of the Couson Market, the General wes just as tough -— prob.bly oven more so = thin he had been before. The best thnit could be hoped for was sone sort of trade pict between
and the six. Since the general nnd everybody clse negotinting 1+ Brussels knows that such ex pict is out of the question, the tons of the speech from the Un's point of view was groy But this is not the whole story » « « « his view is heovily tinged with anti-4ncricnnian; the Europe that is being built around the Tre.ty of Rone, iccording to the Genernl, will fora the nucleus of ma power biock mafficlently important to provide 1 counter-woight in the Western Allienes, to the United States."
What doas this mann for Britain? The oediterial continues: "hat the Ui wishes te know now as beforo., is what the French conception of the Common ir ket means in terms of bargaining, first end foremost on agriculture, Everyone, including the Fronch, hes said that thers is room for compromises, nnd so there should be. What onerges .». is thnt the French will mke their concessions only at the lnst possible moment, and only if pressed h«rd to do so, by other cenbers of the Six. I+ is still possible - no-one will know until the negotintiond have eithor succeeded or broken down - that the gonoral's tough words are only a borgiinin.g posture, fined at sccuring terns which cpen the British oxrket as wide Ais possible to French farmerse If sc, then Mr. Honth's job, though long 1nd drawn out, should come to A successful. conclusion. If on the cther hand, the French havo decided to onke 2 stand agninst British ontry, the issucs become more conplex, hit pressure enn, in the Inst resert force the French to shift their ground? Pressure from the other five would help; an openly pro-British line froo the Germans would be better; nd support for Britains ontry by the Commission would probably bse beat f all".