Kissinger to get a mixed reception from America's allies – archive, 8 December 1973

8 December 1973: Nobody any longer bothers to deny that Atlantic relations have gone sour. But the Europeans feel that they have been more sinned against than sinning

Dr Kissinger's first appearance on the NATO stage is awaited by the European allies with a mixture of interest and irritation - all the more so since he has not used diplomatic channels to give advance notice of what he plans to discuss with his colleagues.

Nobody any longer bothers to deny that Atlantic relations have gone sour. But the Europeans feel that they have been more sinned against than sinning. After years of neglect of Western European interests, with Dr Kissinger and Mr Nixon concentrating on Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and China, the Europeans were suddenly told last April that their turn had come and this was the Year of Europe. The Atlantic Charter was to be updated.