During 1947-48, England and France had been working on their own treaty as well as one involving the so-called Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). That became the basis of discussions about a broader treaty creating a United States of Europe, something many US and European leaders wanted, especially in light of the Marshall Plan. But the path to get there wasn’t clear. Europe was scared of upsetting the Soviets without US guarantees of military support, but the US wasn’t ready to offer that up just yet.

HOW TO LISTEN

If you are seeing this message, it means you aren’t a subscriber (or aren’t logged in). If you haven’t heard any of the series and want to know if you’ll like it before you sign up, you can listen to the first few years of episodes totally free. You only need to register to listen to the current year’s episodes. Sign Up or Login to listen to our premium episodesIf you haven’t already, join our Facebook page . If you’d like a chance to win a prize, write a funny or insightful review on iTunes.