DISARMAMENT (Hansard, 2 August 1957)

Mr. Henderson (by Private Notice)
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, following his discussions with the United States Secretary of State and the French Foreign Minister, he will make a statement on the progress made at the recent meetings of the United Nations Disarmanent Sub-Committee.

§ The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Commander Allan Noble)
The presence of Mr. Dulles and M. Pineau in London has enabled the four Western members of the Disarmament Sub-Committee to have a valuable exchange of views, which will facilitate the presentation of further Western proposals in the Sub-Committee, I hope very soon. Meanwhile, the situation in the Sub-Committee has not substantially changed since the debate in this House on 23rd July. There is really no more I can say at this stage.

Mr. Henderson
In view of the statements which have recently appeared in the British and foreign Press, could the Minister refute the suggestion that the Government are lagging behind the United States Government in the efforts which are being made to break the present deadlock? Secondly, could he say whether it is intended to continue the present disarmament negotiations in the Sub-Committee at least until a first step agreement has been achieved?

§ Commander Noble
Perhaps the right hon. and learned Gentleman will permit me to answer the second part of his supplementary first.
In accordance with the General Assembly's Resolution of 14th February, the Sub-Committee is now making a progress report to the Disarmament Commission. That does not affect that Committee's work, which will continue.
As to the first part of the supplementary question, in which the right hon. 1660 and learned Gentleman asked me to refute any allegations that we were holding things up, I can assure him categorically that nothing could be further from the truth. I am sure that the right hon. and learned Gentleman will realise that some of these highly complex proposals affect, of course, a number of countries other than those represented on the Sub-Committee.

§ Mr. Beswick
What the public really want to know is what is the content of this proposal about which the Western Powers now agree. Can we have an assurance that we are not putting forward an elaborate scheme for flying over one another's territory and calling that disarmament, because it is really nothing of the kind? Can we have an assurance that in these proposals there is some agreed proposal for disarmament?

§ Commander Noble
Yes, Sir. I can most certainly give the hon. Gentleman that assurance, and I think that that was made quite clear by my right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary during the recent debate in the House.

§ Mr. Mason
I would not wish to say too much at the moment in view of the delicate stage that these negotiations have now reached, but as this is the most urgent question of our time, may I urge the Minister of State not to think of the Recess but to press on with the question of disarmament, and in particular to try to get some agreement on control of hydrogen and atomic bomb tests?

§ Commander Noble
As I said in answer to an earlier supplementary, the Sub-Committee is continuing its work.

§ Mr. P. Noel-Baker
May I say with what gratification we have heard that there is no truth in the report that the Government have proposed the suspension of the work without setting a date for its resumption? May I ask the Minister of State whether the report is correct that the Soviet Union has proposed the abolition of all guided missiles and rockets? If so, what is the attitude of the Government?

§ Commander Noble
There was a discussion in the Sub-Committee on missiles last week. As the right hon. Gentleman knows, these discussions are still confidential.

§ Mr. Noel-Baker
Can the right hon. and gallant Gentleman not assure us that the Government are going to give positive support to that proposal?

§ Commander Noble
The Government have made proposals themselves, with the United States Government, on the subject of missiles.

§ Mr. J. Griffiths
Will the progress report, to which the right hon. and gallant Gentleman referred, be published?

§ Commander Noble
It is the usual custom that when reports of this kind, that is, merely progress reports are made, the verbatim reports of what has taken place in the Sub-Committee are published at the same time.

§ Mr. Noel-Baker
May I press the Minister of State further? Since the Minister of Defence stressed greatly the mortal danger to this country of guided missiles with nuclear warheads, not only the inter-continental missiles but short-range missiles as well, can the Minister assure us that the Government will support any such proposal?

§ Commander Noble
The Government will certainly support any such proposals. I put forward ideas on that subject myself in the United Nations earlier this year.