Exposé of the German Question, Especially the Question of the Rearmament of Western Germany

This at the time highly confidential document outlines the views of Gustav Heinemann on German rearmament and its consequences for the security of Europe. Heinemann had fallen out with Konrad Adenauer a year earlier over this very question and the geopolitical developments during 1951 had strengthened his position even further. The blueprint also includes replies…

The Integration of Europe

This blueprint, which originally appeared in the Dutch magazine Wending of October 1953, discussed the way in which the proposed European Defence Community (EDC) would transform the by now ongoing process of Western European economic and political integration. Patijn spoke out against the idea of viewing Europe as ‘a defence of Christian civilization’ as too…

The Relaunching of Europe

After the European Defence Community failed to get ratified in French parliament in 1954, economic integration remained as the prime vehicle for European unity. In this blueprint, written in the second half of the 1950s, one can observe significant changes from five years earlier: the ‘common market’ is a completely obvious and natural concept, and…

The Atlantic Charter

Signifying the growing importance of the Anglo-American partnership in the Second World War after the issuing of the Lend-Lease Agreement in March 1941, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt secretly met off the coast of Newfoundland. After the meeting, they issued the Atlantic Charter, a declaration of common principles between the United States and the…

George C. Marshall Harvard Speech

On 5 June 1947, Secretary of State George C. Marshall held the commencement speech at Harvard University. Having just returned from Moscow weeks before, he had become convinced that drastic economic measures in Europe were needed in order to preserve it for the free world. He therefore announced that the United States were willing to…

Trade and Payments Arrangements – OEEC Trade and Finance Directorate

In the wake of Paul G. Hoffman’s speech for the Council of the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), several proposals for a new system of intra-European payments were advanced. The proposal by the Trade and Finance Directorate of the General Secretariat was drafted by Frank Figgures and circulated on 1 December 1949. For the…

Bissell Plan for a ‘European Clearing Union (ECU)’

In the wake of Paul G. Hoffman’s speech for the Council of the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), several proposals for a new system of intra-European payments were advanced. The proposal by Richard M. Bissell on behalf of the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) aimed at full intra-European currency transferability before the end of the…

‘The Future of Intra-European Payments’

In the wake of Paul G. Hoffman’s speech for the Council of the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), several proposals for a new system of intra-European payments were advanced. The British proposal came on 14 December 1949, after the General Secretariat and the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) had already advanced their plans. For the…

Benelux Plan for Multilateral Payments

Based on the ideas of H.M. Hirschfeld and Hubert Ansiaux, the Benelux put forth the idea to create a system of multilateral payments between the members of the Committee for European Economic Cooperation (CEEC) in Paris. Eventually, the plan gave impetus to the Multilateral Monetary Compensation Agreement in November 1947, which was the first intra-European…

Alphand Plan for European Customs Union

During the conference of the sixteen nations in Paris, Hervé Alphand, who was part of the French delegation, proposed the creation of a European customs union. His ideas gave impetus to the creation of the European Customs Union Study Group (ECUSG). For the blueprint click here. The blueprint is courtesy of the Dutch National Archive…