The origins of the first supranational European community can be traced back to the bold and imaginative proposal drafted by Jean Monnet in early 1950. Yet his plan entered history under a different name: that of the statesman who offered his political backing – Robert Schuman. This article investigates the factors that made it possible for political leaders to accept this ground‐breaking idea. Furthermore, it investigates the source of Monnet's power and influence, which helped to persuade various leaders at different times. By adopting a transnational network approach, it concludes that policy‐makers' acceptance of the coal and steel plan was the result of Monnet's special method of persuasion, developed and refined over the years, and the activity of and pressure exerted by his close network of influential transatlantic friends.