The Power of Negative Thinking

In Common Market circles, Charles de Gaulle's Non! is a more awesome instrument of policy than the force de frappe. Last week in Brussels, he used it again, precipitating yet another of the virtually twice-yearly crises by which France reminds the Six that some are more equal than others.

As usual, De Gaulle pitted his own paramount need to unload France's high-priced farm surpluses against his partners' abiding desire for progress toward political integration. It was a familiar script, and it had always turned out the same way--France's way. Not this time. When French Foreign Minister Couve de Murville threatened Non unless the Common Market extended its community-wide farm-price agreements for five more years, the other members of the Six chorused Non! Non! Non! This time, they demanded, France could have its way on farm prices only by agreeing to major advances toward supranationalism in Europe: greater powers for the European Parliament, tighter central control over member nations' farm tax revenues. Nonplussed, Couve pleaded that the meeting was only to discuss farm policy, but his protests fell on deaf ears.

After three days and nights of argument, Couve exploded in a rare, undiplomatic burst of emotion. "Too much has been asked of France!" he cried. "Solemn engagements have been broken. It's absurd to continue." And with that, he scurried back to report his defeat to an angry De Gaulle. The Elysee Palace issued an ominous ultimatum: France henceforth would boycott all Common Market meetings while its government makes "the studies necessary to draw conclusions from the setback." This was a clear threat to withdraw from the Common Market.

France's partners were more puzzled than panicked by De Gaulle's pique. "We could have reached agreement," E.E.C. Farm Boss Sicco Mansholt maintained. "If the French say that the situation was hopeless, that's simply not true." The guessing in Brussels was that De Gaulle, furious at the way his bluff had been called, was simply raising the ante. As for the threat to the Common Market, no people in Europe would lose more from the breakup than France's farmers. It was hard to believe that even De Gaulle would risk such a blow to their pocket-books--particularly in the very week that he chose to set the next national election. He has until Dec. 5.

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