Treaty of Rome resulted from UK's refusing 'merger' with France [audio 30min]

Journalist Mike Thomson investigates evidence of a French request in the mid 1950s to merge the nations of Britain and France. The idea, which was first proposed by the anglophile French Prime Minister, Guy Mollet, in September 1956, was rejected by Britain’s Prime Minister, Anthony Eden. At the time it was made, the Suez crisis was escalating, the French economy was in a mess and Britain was seen as a social and economic role model in Paris. Previously secret cabinet papers reveal that, two weeks later, Mollet made another request, this time to join the British Commonwealth, a move which would have made Queen Elizabeth the official head of state of republican France. This too was rejected by Eden and, a year later, France signed the Treaty of Rome with Germany and the other founding nations of the Common market. Follow a link on the "Document" webpage to view a gallery of images related to this programme.