Less surprising was Jean Monnet’s decision. Although he had worked with de Gaulle on the Franco-British Union proposal of 16 June, he quickly became wary of de Gaulle’s political ambitions and did everything possible to sabotage his abortive committee. He argued in a long letter to de Gaulle that ‘it is not from London that this effort of resurrection’ can come: a movement based in London would seem ‘protected by England, inspired by her interests’. This was an ironic comment from the internationalist Monnet and in view of the stormy relations de Gaulle would have with the British over the
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