From the outset British officials were opposed to a Brussels Treaty Common Market even in the indefinete future. They were glad to see the end of Monnet's tenure as President of the High Authority, to be replaced with a more pliable less fanatic man. The initial opinion of Messina was it was but a half hearted attempt to keep the idea of Europe alive but to take the sting out of the Benelux proposals. Their preference had been for unity in Europe in the shape of Council of Europe expansion or free trade areas within the OEEC. When the conference convened at Messina in 1955 the Conservative government sent a silent observer, refusing any active participation. Yet there was an awareness among British officials that they could be held responsible for the failure or success in terms of the Messina resolution enterprise. Their opposition to the Common Market was based on their belief that if it came into being it would weaken the Commonwealth economically and politically, nor did they want to see the work of existing institutions being duplicated. In their attempts to encourage alternatives that might emerge to the development of a continental federated bloc, they failed to recognise the political will for the construction of an integrated Europe.

The originals are held in various Archives in Europe and in the USA

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