Office of the Historian

98. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Posts1

Washington, July 15, 1965, 1:47 p.m.

72. In response to any official inquiries regarding the position of the US on the Common Market crisis and European integration generally, you may privately draw on the remarks of Under Secretary Ball (Polto circular 2)2 in discussions with Foreign Minister Luns July 12 to the effect that the US is not talking publicly or privately about the Common Market crisis; that it is taking the position that this is an internal matter for the Six to handle; and that there should be no question that the US, after fifteen years of vigorous advocacy of a consistent policy, is abandoning its well known position on European integration.

Rusk
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, ECIN 6 EEC. Limited Official Use. Drafted by Hinton and Leddy, cleared by Schaetzel, and approved by Leddy. Sent to Bonn, Brussels for the Embassy and USEC, The Hague, London, Rome, Paris for the Embassy and USRO, Luxembourg, and Geneva.↩
  2. Dated July 13. (Ibid., Conference Files: Lot 66 D 347, CF 2523)↩