Exercise in Persuasion

Resplendent in their plumed helmets royal-blue jackets and white breeches' the Garde Republicaine stood in formation outside the Elysee Palace As the distinguished visitor approached trumpets blared forth a fanfare, and dozens of swords swirled in salute But the arrival was not the customary motorcade-and-siren sort of thing. Harold Wilson had come from the British embassy on foot down the Rue St. Honore and there he was: hatless, in rumpled suit, hands in pockets, pipe in mouth, t was a fitting prelude for a meeting between the socialist from Yorkshire and the grand seigneur who had regally blackballed Britain's entry into the Common Market.

Swirling Tide. Wilson came to try to change Charles de Gaulle's mind about British entry. He had laid the groundwork for his visit only the day before in a speech to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Usually a bland speaker Wilson this time sounded almost like De Gaulle himself, even borrowing such favorite terms of the general as "nation states and "diversity in unity." He endorsed De Gaulle's desire for a "real and living peace with our neighbors to the East." He even managed to sound properly alarmed about the Americans by warning that Europe faced the danger of falling under American "industrial helotry"- unless the British and French got together.

Knowing that five of the six Common Market leaders and the vast majority of their people favor British entry Wilson challenged De Gaulle to Iet in Britain. Ihe only human institution that rejects change is the cemetery," he said,

adding that Britain and France have the challenging duty of leading a generation impatient of the mumblings bumblings and fumblings of what has too often passed for statesmanship." f we do fail to gain admission," Wilson warned, "the fault will not lie at Britain s door. History will condemn beyond any power of ours to defend or excuse, the failure to seize what so many of us can clearly see is now a swirling, urgent tide in man's affairs "

Warned About Weakness. The speech was very European in parts; Charles de Gaulle could appreciate that. After icy silence from the French and a few protocol snubs to put Wilson in his place, the atmosphere warmed when Wilson and Foreign Secretary George Brown came face to face with De Gaulle. Wilson did most of the talking; De Gaulle asked the questions. The topics were predictable: Commonwealth trade (Britain's old trading partners would have to be given some concessions if Britain entered the market) Europe's technological plight, East-West relationships.

The French were worried about sterling's weaknesses. Britain has debts of billion and reserves of only $3 billion. Could not Britain become a financial burden on its prospective Common Market partners if its creditors suddenly called in all their debts? Not a chance replied Wilson, explaining that Britain's huge foreign investments were more than ample to ward off a run on the pound. (He could also have mentioned --but probably diplomatically did not-- that Britain's pound has been shored up at times by massive aid from the U S )

Wilson and De Gaulle exchanged polite toasts at lunch, Wilson praising De Gaulle as a man "who is not afraid of change," and De Gaulle saying, in effect: It's nice to see you, Harold, even if nothing comes of all this. The champagne was Veuve Clicquot 1959 which was Churchill's favorite, and it helped put George Brown in such a comradely mood that, as they rose from the table, he grabbed De Gaulle by the arm. The French gasped; it was comparable to tweaking the Queen's ear. But De Gaulle was unperturbed. He is genuinely fond of the impulsive Brown whom he praised in his toast for "his ideas and the way he expresses them."

Unanswered Question. After three sessions with De Gaulle, Wilson and Brown flew home. "The meetings went better in some respects than might have been expected," Wilson told Commons He conceded that the general had given no indication whether he would say oui or non if Britain made formal application for market membership--which it intends to do by spring. The aftersounds from Pans were discouraging. Foreign Minister Couve de Murville hinted that Britain still seemed too preoccupied with faraway commitments to qualify for De Gaulle's Europe. Undiscouraged, Wilson planned to continue his present round of Common Market capitals (he goes to Brussels and Luxembourg this week), in hopes that those on the inside could somehow prevail on De Gaulle to change his mind.

* Means enslavement from Helos, a Grecian town whose inhabitants were conquered by their militant neighbors, the ancient Spartans, about 1,000 B.C.

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