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Clark soon began clashing with Haig on policy issues. When Haig in April undertook his epic Washington-London-Buenos Aires shuttle in an effort to avert war between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands, Clark thought that Haig had staked the Administration's prestige far too heavily on a mission that seemed likely to fail—as, of course, it did. After war broke out, Clark believed that Haig had persuaded Reagan to come out openly on Britain's side too quickly and completely.
When Haig in Washington and Ambassador Kirkpatrick at the U.N. got into a furious telephone argument over policy toward the Falklands—Kirkpatrick urging more sympathy for Argentina—Haig wanted her fired. Clark instead got her an appointment at the White House on Memorial Day to state her views directly to Reagan. Though the President did not agree with those opinions, Haig was furious at this deference to a "company commander," as he once called Kirkpatrick, who in his judgment had been insubordinate.
Even so, Haig continued to win on most of the substantive issues. As late as a month ago, at the Versailles summit conference of the non-Communist world's seven strongest industrial powers that opened Reagan's ten-day trip through Europe, Haig appeared to be in complete control of U.S. foreign policy. That appearance could not have been more misleading. It is now clear that for Haig the European trip generally, and Versailles specifically, marked the beginning of the end.
In Washington, Haig and the White House staff could at least avoid one another when they had no business to discuss. Thrown together on a tightly scheduled visit to Europe, they got into explosive quarrels over the pettiest matters. For example, Haig is said to have regarded it as an affront that the helicopter carrying him and his wife Patricia from Heathrow Airport outside London to Windsor Castle was far behind the Reagans' chopper. According to White House aides, he upbraided Clark and Baker on the lawn at Windsor Castle, while Queen Elizabeth II was welcoming Reagan. "He went crazy," recalls one presidential assistant. Haig further annoyed Clark and Baker by theatening to abandon the trip and return to Washington.
More important, Haig at Versailles undertook a bit of well-intended diplomacy that failed. Reagan earlier had forbidden American companies to supply equipment for the Siberia-Western Europe natural gas pipeline, as a method of putting economic pressure on the Soviets in retaliation for the crackdown in Poland. He had reserved the option of imposing further sanctions if the Poles were not granted some greater measure of freedom. The Europeans were angry, regarding any American effort to block the pipeline as an attempt to wage economic war on the Soviet Union. They opposed economic sanctions both on principle—they are eager to preserve whatever remains of détente—and because they need the energy supplies and the jobs that the pipeline will provide.