§ 32. Mr. A. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, pending the discovery of means of controlling nuclear weapons, he will give an assurance that it remains the policy of Her Majesty's Government to secure an early disarmament treaty that will include the reduction in manpower and conventional armaments to the levels proposed in the Anglo-French Memoranda, June, 1954, and March, 1955; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NuttingThe levels for the reduction of armed forces and conventional armaments proposed in the Anglo-French Memorandum of 29th March, 1955, were put forward as an integral part of a comprehensive disarmament scheme providing for effective control over both conventional and nuclear weapons in a world in which political tension had been relaxed by the settlement of outstanding differences.
As I stated on 19th December, Her Majesty's Government still hope ultimately to achieve a comprehensive agreement embracing nuclear weapons. In the meantime, Her Majesty's Government intend to follow up the General Assembly Resolution of 16th December, which instructed the Disarmament Sub-Committee to give
priority to early agreement on and implementation of all such measures of adequately safeguarded disarmament as are now feasible.
§ Mr. HendersonIs it not a fact that during the meetings of the Sub-Committee a wide area of agreement was reached between the Soviet Union and the Western Powers? Is it not, therefore, a reasonable expectation that a considerable measure of disarmament should be achieved because, in the words of the Minister himself, it is feasible in view of that wide measure of agreement?
§ Mr. NuttingI am very anxious that, at the next round of the Sub-Committee meetings, we should try to reach agreement to make a start with some partial disarmament. But, in present political circumstances in the world at large, it 601 cannot go as far as the figures contained in the Anglo-French Memorandum—for reasons which will be obvious to the right hon. and learned Gentleman. Nor, because we have not yet found the means of controlling nuclear disarmament, can it include nuclear disarmament. But nuclear disarmament, and a comprehensive scheme of disarmament embracing conventional and nuclear arms, remains the policy and purpose of Her Majesty's Government.
§ Mr. HendersonDoes that reply mean that in the view of Her Majesty's Government there is little expectation of any agreement on conventional disarmament?
§ Mr. NuttingNo, Sir. On the contrary, it means that Her Majesty's Government are anxious to make a start in a practical way with disarmament, and not to continue indefinitely over the next ten years, as we have over the last ten years, the academic arguments about the requirements and needs of a comprehensive disarmament scheme which is not possible in present political and scientific circumstances.
§ Mr. BeswickThe Minister is now saying that one of the prior qualifications of disarmament is the relaxation of political tension, but is it not the case that the political tension is increased by the arms race, and how can we hope to end the political tension unless we do come to some agreement about the atomic arms race?
§ Mr. NuttingThis is the sort of chicken-and-egg argument which is difficult to pursue at Question Time. What I am anxious to do, as I said just a moment ago, is to make a start, and that start itself could contribute to the reduction of political tension; but until political tension is reduced, we cannot go in for a comprehensive scheme of disarmament such as that envisaged in the Anglo-French plan.