§ 51. Mr. Stokesasked the Minister of Defence how many Soviet troops he estimates have been withdrawn from East Germany since the decision of the Soviet Government to reduce its armed forces by 1,200,000 men.
§ Sir W. MoncktonOf the 1,200,000 men which the Soviet Government say that they intend to demobilise only 30,000 will come from the Soviet forces in East Germany. Of these, a few Army and Air Force units have been withdrawn in the last few weeks.
§ Mr. StokesDoes this mean a really substantial withdrawal from Germany, or is it just the tail end which is being picked off? Is there any substantial reduction in the actual fighting strength of the Russian armed forces in Eastern Germany?
§ Sir W. MoncktonNo, Sir. The figures which I have given demonstrate that it is only a small proportion of the Soviet strength which is involved in respect of Eastern Germany.