Chapter 16, As for the future of England (August 21 - September 17). As the Banque de France and NY Fed loans to Bank of England are used, a French and US loan to the British government is contemplated and arranged through J.P. Morgan and with assistance from the NY Fed and Banque de France. The arrangement leads to the ’bankers’ ramp’ accusations and the relationship between Harrison and Harvey deteriorates. Harrison visits Norman who is unhappy with the Bank for England’s and Harvey’s actions and the decision to peg sterling to the US dollar at 4.86. J. P. Morgan also question the policy of the Bank of England and wonders why Harvey doesn’t raise the bank rate. Harvey seems to be focused on forcing the British government to cut the budget, adn the BIS argues that Great Britain is now the European country with the most serious financial conditions.

After officially floating sterling, the Bank was still managing the pound behind the scenes. The Chancellor wanted sterling lower. The Bank therefore nudged the pound downwards with a surprise dollar purchase on 4 March 1976. This intervention was orders of magnitude from usual Bank operations. Private currency dealers got scared and started to follow the Bank and sell sterling. While the Government welcomed the fall at first, it quickly turned into a full-blown currency crisis. And just a few months later, the Government had to beg the IMF for money to prevent the pound collapsing.

1964 marked the election of Labour. It also marked the beginning of a long currency crisis that would culminate in the 1967 devaluation. The crisis was progressive. It showed American policymakers that a sterling crisis could very well lead to a gold crisis. This would threaten the international monetary system. The United States started to take the fate of sterling seriously.