§ 46. Mr. Lewisasked the Prime Minister what approaches he has made since 2nd March to the Presidents of the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for the purposes of initiating three-Power talks; and what were the results attained.
§ The Prime MinisterWe have not made proposals for a three-Power meeting. As the House knows, the Soviet Government have recently seemed to 1210 desire an improvement in their relations with other countries. We welcome this but I think it would be well to see how far progress on those lines can be made before considering the desirability of more general talks.
§ Mr. LewisIn thanking the Prime Minister for that very welcome and friendly statement, may I ask whether he will publicly give an assurance that, from the point of view of Her Majesty's Government and from his personal point of view, he will not lose any opportunity, when the right time does come, to make an approach for three-Power talks?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that if I couched my assurance in those general terms it would hardly advance matters much further, but I should like to say that I do not admit of any distinction between my personal point of view and that of Her Majesty's Government.