"This fresh look at the 1963 crisis in the western alliance following de Gaulle's veto of the British EEC application uses much new unpublished source material to offer a fascinating insight into the personal relationships of the western leaders. It challenges the orthodox view that it was de Gaulle who was solely to blame for the breakdown of the negotiations in January 1963.

Instead, while Adenauer was still trying to find a deal with de Gaulle to avoid a complete breakdown, British cooperation with the American administration and with other members of the German cabinet was meant to make de Gaulle the sole scapegoat, in order to isolate France within the EEC."--BOOK JACKET.