HC Deb 24 January 1957 vol 563 cc390-2
45. Mr. Lewis

asked the Prime Minister whether he will seek a meeting with President Eisenhower to discuss Anglo-American relations, with particular reference to the Middle East problems.

47. Mr. R. Harris

asked the Prime Minister if he will refrain from arranging a visit to President Eisenhower until after he has convened a meeting of Commonwealth Prime Ministers.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Macmillan)

I would refer to the reply which I gave on Tuesday. The timing of meetings of Commonwealth Prime Ministers is not dependent on meetings with other heads of Governments.

Mr. Lewis

In view of the fact that the Prime Minister has declared that he is in favour of improving Anglo-American relations, does he not feel that one way of doing that would be to persuade his hon. Friends to withdraw the violently anti-American Motion standing on the Order Paper, some of the signatories of which I believe he will find he has now appointed to Ministerial office? Would it not show to our American friends that the Prime Minister is sincerely in favour of improving those relations if he either asked his hon. Friends to withdraw their signatures or dismissed them from office?

The Prime Minister

That supplementary question has no possible relationship to the Question I was asked and to which my reply was that I cannot yet make a statement about any meeting between myself and the President of the United States.

Mr. R. Harris

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that while everybody in this country wants to see the Anglo-American alliance fully restored, there would be very grave dissatisfaction if the Prime Minister appeared to be rushing over to America with unseemly haste, and that many people would like to see President Eisenhower coming over to see the Prime Minister?

Mr. Gaitskell

Would not the Prime Minister agree that, in view of the differences of opinion which developed between certain Commonwealth countries and this country and between the United States and ourselves, it is highly desirable that there should be, first, a conference of Commonwealth Prime Ministers to thrash out the differences and later a conference between President Eisenhower and the Prime Minister?

The Prime Minister

As the right hon. Gentleman knows, arranging the timing of these meetings is very difficult, with all the different responsibilities of the various Commonwealth Prime Ministers, and I do not think it would be easy to make a rapid decision for such a conference. At the same time, I hope that a Commonwealth conference will meet and play an immense rôle in the life of the Commonwealth. With regard to a meeting with the President, I can only add that I cannot at present make a statement.

Mr. Gaitskell

Can the Prime Minister give an assurance that he will initiate discussions with the Commonwealth Governments with a view to the Prime Ministers' conference taking place as soon as possible?

The Prime Minister

That is always going on. We are in very close touch. I think it will be possible. As the right hon. Gentleman knows, there is always, by convenience, only something like fixed periods of the year when it is possible to have these meetings.