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Rambling on, Macmillan recalled that British policy in the past was to prevent any one group from monopolizing Europe, and cited Britain's alliances with Russia against Napoleon, with France against Hitler. He did not want to see that happen again, he said. But Macmillan warned that unless something was done, Britain in self-defense might have to protect her economic interests by reintroducing quotas on dollar goods, might even have to pull out some, if not all. of her 55,000 troops on the Continent in order to save money.
Step by Step. The British had hoped to see the Inner Six and Outer Seven match concessions until such time as both could unite in one great European trade framework. Macmillan hoped to get the U.S. on his side. But the U.S., which sees the Common Market as an essential first step toward a United Europe, is anxious for it to develop as rapidly as possible.
If Macmillan had hoped to slow the Inner Six's schedule until Britain could keep pace, his gambit had had the opposite effect. Until last week no one was sure that the Common Market would really chop tariffs 20% this summer. But the word from Washington tipped the scales. Meeting in Strasbourg, the European Parliament, representing all six Common Market nations, rammed through a resolution in favor of pushing ahead. Said one French official last week: "Macmillan's remarks have absolutely clinched it. If there was any doubt about what the Six would decide on, there isn't any more."