Winning the Election

Abstract

In the summer of 1959 Macmillan was faced with the problem of saving face following the collapse of the Geneva talks and Eisenhower’s invitation to Khrushchev; winning the election; and of ensuring that if any deal on Berlin was agreed, Britain was part of it. His strategy of moving his allies towards acceptance of a grand summit to agree on the future of European security had begun to disintegrate. The Americans appeared to be moving towards a bilateral solution to the Berlin crisis, whilst in Europe, Britain seemed irrelevant to the emerging Franco-Grerman entente. The danger of Britain finding herself without a role or ally in the international arena had become a real one. Macmillan attempted to ensure that his part in the relaxation of tension between East and West, demonstrated by Khrushchev’s visit to the US, was fully appreciated by the public in the weeks running up to the British general election. When he won the contest convincingly, Macmillan appeared politically the strongest Western leader, but was riven with indecision.