— Portrait of the Week — BOLTS FROM THE BLUE sent Anglo-American
rela- tions shivering into near-frostiness. American De- fence Secretary Mr. McNamara came to London but with no Christmas gifts for the British Government. Instead he prepared none too gently for the Skybolt programme to go the • way of most British missile developments, though no final word will be given until the Bahamas meeting next week. Though US officials dream Of a European deterrent, President de Gaulle scotched that idea by insisting on remaining independent. Meanwhile Dean Acheson ruffled E.nglish feathers with comments that Britain was 'Just about played out.' The Prime Minister dis- agreed, informing the Institute of Directors that to believe this would be to ignore a thousand years of history.
IN BRUSSELS, negotiations drag on and on for British entry into the Common Market, though Mr. Heath has now got beyond the vexed ques- tions of kangaroo meat and rice for Asian sailors ia the Port of London. Agriculture is the leading bone of eontention at the moment, and in view of a virtual deadlock, the Six agreed to set up an- other inquiry team to investigate points of differ- ence. At home Mr. Erroll and Mr. Maudling con- tinued to undo the damage of Llandudno and con- vince the Six that Britain could conceivably stay out: Mr. Maudling gave the National Incomes Commission something to do, though most people had forgotten all about it. NIC was ordered to examine a cut in hours given to Scottish build me workers to see if it was in the national inter- est that this should be allowed to spread over all ,_the areas of high unemployment. The TUC, having already made clear its dislike of NIC, began the monumental labour of putting its own house in order, cheered by the news that two Shipbuilding unions are nearing amalgamation.
nauNEi, hidden amid the Malaysian federation, came out of its shell and took its share of the World's headlines. Dr. Adenauer, after a decade of Prompting, admitted that the time had come to retire—or at least would have come by next autumn, unless he changes his mind. Seven new members were admitted to his coalition. U Thant claimed for the umpteenth time that the United Nations were ready to bring Tshombe to heel, but it seemed more likely that the Central Govern- ment would fall first. Tito went to the Kremlin, and a Communist conference in Italy exposed still further the bitterness between East and East. Though the smog went from England, the fog surrounding Chinese-Indian relations showed no signs of abating.
BRITAIN'S FIRST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE was given its first trial on Tuesday: immediately it blew a fuse, rendering all systems stop. As the submarine lurched out of control, the public trial was hastily abandoned. Rotherham Town Hall has been over- Whelmed by Servicemen posting early for West- Minster, and is only giving the number of can- didates once a week. Meanwhile it became clear that not only is the Rhine Army inadequate in kriumbers, but that what there is is inadequately housed. The Government, though not the Treas- ury, decided to set up an economic intelligence unit to try to spot trends in economic affairs.
IN1R• MARBLES ANNOUNCED dramatic plans to check drunken driving over Christmas, including a fifty- nide-an-hour speed limit for after dark, and stringent medical tests in police stations for those caught driving when drunk. Earlier he revealed Plans to build an underground car park beneath the Horse Guards Parade. Tottenham Hotspur Wiped the noses of Glasgow Rangers in the mud, winning both home and away, and Cambridge University did the same in the Varsity match,de- featmg Oxford for the third time in succession.
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