Word: pleven
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Champion of the fight for ratification was Premier Rene Pleven, an astute, dedicated "European." He had plenty of opposition. "A capitalist supermonopoly, controlled by American high finance," blustered Communist Deputy Florimond Bonte on the left. "Let's wait," argued the Gaullists on the right. "First we must organize Europe politically...
...talked and outmaneuvered his opponents. He made the Schuman Plan a vote of confidence in his government. "We are not talking of trial marriage," he explained. "We want to create indissoluble economic bonds. You, gentlemen, you will not refuse Europe this first and perhaps only chance to live." Pleven cozened the Peasant Deputies by promising bigger farm loans, made sure of the Socialists by agreeing to drop income taxes on low-income groups. The debate waxed emotional. An Independent accused the government of selling out to the Germans: "We give to Germany what she desires, and we renounce...
...week there were almost daily meetings of diplomats, economists and soldiers, engaged in a kind of piecemeal federation. The six key nations of Western Europe were closer than ever before to adopting the Schuman Plan (see above). They were solemnly (if disputatiously) engaged in negotiating the even more revolutionary Pleven Plan for transforming their land, sea and air forces into a single European army. Under it, France and Germany would fight shoulder to shoulder, side by side with Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg...
...Western allies were getting nervous about the mounting pressures of rearmament on their precarious economies. Britain, facing near-bankruptcy, reluctantly slowed down its rearmament program (see below). France, which seems to lack the moral purpose to save itself, could not make up its mind to ratify the Pleven (European army) plan, which the French themselves originated. The Benelux countries talked of pulling out of the European army: if Britain wouldn't join, if the French would neither fish nor cut bait, they wanted to return to the old system of nations individually contributing divisions to SHAPE...
Last week, after a five-hour cabinet meeting, Pleven had good news to announce: the U.S. had granted France $600 million emergency aid-$200 million for direct economic aid, $400 million to maintain U.S. troops stationed in France and to equip U.S. armed forces from French industry...