§ 50. Mr. Parkinasked the Prime Minister what special guidance has been given to the appropriate Departments regarding the policy to be adopted in consequence of those parts of his recent letter to Mr. Bulganin referring to increases in trade; and, in particular, whether British firms are now to be advised to seek as customers individual Soviet users rather than State enterprises.
§ Mr. R. A. ButlerI have been asked to reply. 891 We must first have Mr. Bulganin's reply. If he should agree, as my right hon. Friend suggested, to allow our businessmen direct access to Soviet enterprises interested in their products, appropriate advice would, of course, be given to British firms.
§ Mr. ParkinDo I understand from that reply that the bantering style of the Prime Minister's letter was not intended to cover up any serious desire to slow down trade relations and that the Prime Minister seriously suggests the opening of new channels and new methods of doing trade with the Soviet Union?
§ Mr. ButlerI do not understand the hon. Member's reference to a "bantering style." I thought that the Prime Minister's answer had been universally regarded as a frank and straight answer to a very long communication from the Soviet Prime Minister. We are very keen to enlarge the opportunities for trade, and this means direct access to Soviet enterprises, as I know from my own conversations with Mr. Bulganin when I met him in company with the late Prime Minister. We are very keen to achieve this, even though such orders would have to pass through State trading channels. If we can achieve it, it will be in the interests of all concerned.