A research project concerned with the development of English as a school subject in the Norwegian elementary and junior high school identifies and describes British and American influences on the theoretical climate of foreign language teaching in Western Europe from the 1950's to the 1970's. A distinct British influence, the so-called Palmer, West, and Hornby tradition (which focused on the oral method, grading and vocabulary, "standard English," and the teacher role in mediating the linguistic and lexical quality of the language) existed in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language in the 1950's. The British Council offered educational services such as assistance with English teaching and expert advice to policy makers. In the 1960s, the British influence was replaced by an American influence characterized by applied structural linguistics, behavioral learning psychology, and instructional technology that materialized through the audiovisual method of foreign language teaching. The Council of Europe then became the clearinghouse and coordinating body of modern language teaching in Europe; it organized conferences at which the aims, content, methods, and examination forms of modern language teaching were discussed, and recommendations were made for changes in national curriculum decision making projects. (Author/DJD)