J.F. Kennedy's Administration position on the issue of Great Britain joining the EEC (March-September 1961)

The post-war American governments were strongly interested in British active participation in the European integration. However, the Eisenhower Administration had been afraid that British membership of the EEC could not be accomplished without diluting it, and so had really done little to encourage the British to apply. After Britain's hopes of including the EEC to a wider European Free Trade Area had failed the Great Britain government decided to join the Common Market. The most pressing reason for Britain's decision was the hope that it could deal more successfully with its serious economic problems and strengthen its special relations with the United States, which strongly urged British membership in the EEC. George Ball, an Under-Secretary of State who was primarily responsible for shaping the new administration's policy towards European integration, forthrightly expressed vigorous American support for British membership of the EEC. Kennedy endorsed this view at his meeting with Macmillan in April 1961. Immediately after this meeting Macmillan felt sufficiently emboldened to seek Cabinet approval for an early application for EEC membership. On 31 July 1961 Macmillan announced in the Commons that preliminary talks to be held with the Six on British entry to the EEC. The Kennedy Administration supported the idea of Britain joining the EEC if Great Britain government would accept the full conditions for membership and would not insist on solutions also for EFTA and Commonwealth countries. Washington was against the EFTA neutrals joining the EEC either as full members or even as associate members. George Ball and David Bruce, an American ambassador in Great Britain, met with British negotiation team shortly before the beginning of negotiations on British entry to the EEC. American politicians once more reiterated their position on unconditional British membership in the EEC. They also agreed on value of maintaining close but informal contacts during negotiations. Kennedy Administration believed that British membership in the EEC would liberalize the trade policy of the Common Market, dilute the Franco-German dominance in the EEC and strengthen transatlantic relations.

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